National Gallery of Art :: The Collection :: The Adoration of the Magi
  • Provenance
  • Bibliography

Overview

No overview.

Inscription

null

Marks and Labels

null

Provenance

Probably from a convent in the province of Guipuzcoa, Spain.[1] (Arthur J. Sulley, London);[2] (Count Alessandro Contini-Bonacossi, Rome), by 1926;[3] purchased April 1927 by Samuel H. Kress [1863-1955], New York;[4] gift 1952 by exchange to NGA.

[1] The precise basis for the tradition that the picture comes from the Basque province of Guipuzcoa has not been found. In a statement in the NGA curatorial files, Robert Quinn analyzed the history and holdings of various monastic establishments in the province, concluding that the most likely candidates for ownership of the Adoration were the Convento de Bidaurrete and the Convento de Aránzazu, both in Oñate; see also Colin Eisler, Paintings from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: European Schools Excluding Italian (Oxford, 1977), 65-66.

[2] See note 4; Max Friedlander, in a letter of 21 March 1937 to Kress commenting on a photograph of the painting, says "I have seen the original many years ago in London." This information and note 4 have been added to the provenance after the 1986 publication of the NGA systematic catalogue of Netherlandish paintings.

[3] See certificate of Roberto Longhi, November 1926, in the NGA curatorial files.

[4] The bill of sale for eight paintings is dated 6 April 1927 (copy in NGA curatorial files). The painting is described as follows: "A picture representing The Adoration of the Maggi[sic] - An early painting attributed to the Dutch School, said to be painted not later than 1480. Transferred from an oaken panel. From a Convent in Spain. From Mr. A. S.[sic] Sulley London." A label on the back of the painting repeats this, except for reference to Sulley, which is handwritten on the typewritten bill of sale.

Exhibition History

Bibliography

1951
Paintings and Sculpture from the Kress Collection Acquired by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation 1945-1951. Introduction by John Walker, text by William E. Suida. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1951: 184, no. 81, repro., as by Hispano-Dutch Master.
1959
Paintings and Sculpture from the Samuel H. Kress Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1959: 319, repro., as by Hispano-Dutch Master.
1960
Evans, Grose. Spanish Painting in the National Gallery of Art. Washington, D.C., 1960 (Booklet Number Ten in Ten Schools of Painting in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.): 12, color repro., as by Hispano-Dutch Master.
1965
Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 67, as Hispano-Dutch School.
1968
European Paintings and Sculpture: Illustrations (Companion to the Summary Catalogue, 1965). Washington, 1968: 59, no. 1120, repro., as Hispano-Dutch School.
1975
European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 174, repro., as Hispano-Dutch School.
1977
Eisler, Colin. Paintings from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: European Schools Excluding Italian. Oxford, 1977: 64-66, fig. 59, as The Epiphany by Master of the Kress Epiphany.
1984
Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 125, no. 109, color repro., as by Hispano-Dutch School.
1985
European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 293, repro.
1986
Hand, John Oliver and Martha Wolff. Early Netherlandish Painting. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1986: 213-215, repro. 215.

Related Works

Related Resources

  • Event Type
    Event Name
    March 1–June 1
    Mon, Tues, and Wed at 1:00
    March 5, 2012 at 2:00
    March 7, 2012 at 4:00
    East Building, Auditorium
    Name of docent
    image:
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum
    60 minutes
    Registration for this event begins on April 1, 2012 at noon.
    Register for this event
    Download the program notes (100k)
  • Self-Guided Tour
    Italian Collection
    image:
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum