Getty Museum
The Meeting of the Three Kings, with David and Isaiah (recto); The Assumption of the Virgin (verso)
Creator
Master of the St. Bartholomew AltarpieceArtist · 1475–1510
All works by this person →The art of the Master of the Saint Bartholomew Altarpiece is so distinctive that, although there is little documentation of his life beyond his works, scholars have relatively easily pieced together his career. A painter, illuminator, and perhaps a monk, he settled in Cologne, Germany, in about 1480. Many of his most important commissions were produced for the Carthusians, a reclusive order of mon
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- before 1480
- Medium
- Oil and gold leaf on panel
- Culture
- Netherlandish
- Department
- Paintings
- Institution
- Getty Museum
In a barren, mountainous landscape, the three wise kings Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar meet to continue their journey to Bethlehem. Heralds on prancing horses blare trumpets to proclaim the unification of humankind at the birth of Jesus. On the peaked mountains above, the kings appear again at an earlier moment. Their diminutive figures stand or kneel, watching for the star that will lead them to their king. In the right and left corners of the foreground, Isaiah and David hold scrolling banners inscribed with the Old Testament prophecies of the Adoration of the Magi. The Assumption of the Virgin appears on the other side of this panel. Borne aloft by musical angels, the Virgin Mary slowly ascends to be crowned Queen of Heaven by God the Father above. Circles of pastel colors--yellow, pink, and blue--radiate from her, ending with clouds painted in each corner of the composition. An altarpiece wing functions like a door to a cabinet. Artists often painted both sides of a wing so that a picture would be visible whether the "door" was opened or closed. Because this panel is painted on two sides, it may have once formed part of such a wing.
The authoritative record is held by Getty Museum. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
Get printable QR codesHide QR codes
Open QR codes for this object page and the museum record. They stay collapsed until needed.
Related across collections
Semantically similar works from Getty Museum and other institutions.