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Adoration of the Magi

Creator

Italian Artist · 1431–1506

Painter, draftsman, and printmaker Andrea Mantegna was born near Padua, Italy, around 1431. At the age of eleven, he entered the workshop of Francesco Squarcione, who legally adopted him after the death of his father. At seventeen, Mantegna won his independence from Squarcione after bringing him to court for exploitation and fraud. During the fifteenth century, Padua's intellectual climate and rel

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Date: about 1495–1505
Medium: Distemper on linen
Culture: Italian
Department: Paintings
Institution: Getty Museum

Three kings pay homage to the Christ Child, who in turn makes a sign of blessing. Jesus Christ, his mother the Virgin Mary, and Mary's husband Joseph have haloes and wear simple garments, while the Magi are dressed in exotic clothing and jewels and bear exquisite gifts. Caspar, bearded and bareheaded, presents the Christ Child with a rare Chinese cup, made of delicate porcelain and filled with gold coins. Melchior, the younger, bearded king behind Caspar, holds a Turkish censer for perfuming the air with incense; on the right, Balthasar the Moor carries a covered cup made of agate. Andrea Mantegna's composition of figures and objects compressed within a shallow space was based on his study of ancient Roman reliefs. He used a neutral background and sharply defined details to focus the viewer's attention on the kings' adoration of Christ.

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