The Adoration of the Magi (Virgin in the Grotto)

c. 1500

Workshop of Andrea Mantegna

Associated Names
Italian 15th Century

Engraver

Andrea Mantegna

Artist, Paduan, c. 1431 - 1506

The image shows three main figures in a cave-like setting. One woman and two men are present, along with several cherubic angels in the background. The woman is seated, holding an infant who is standing or leaning against her lap. Her facial features are delicate, with a slightly downward gaze. She wears a draped garment with a head covering, and her hair is partially visible. The man to the left is bald on top with a beard, shown in profile, and appears to be kneeling or bending forward with clasped hands. The man to the right is standing in profile, supporting himself with a staff, wearing a long robe and a wide-brimmed hat, with a beard. Small angels with wings surround the woman and infant, their faces hidden. The scene is framed by cave walls and a rocky foreground, creating a sense of depth. The artwork features intricate linework, typical of an etching or engraving style.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 39 x 28.2 cm (15 3/8 x 11 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.1329

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Hind 'Engravings', Vol. 5, p.22, no. 13

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Friedrich August II, King of Saxony [1797-1854], Dresden (Lugt 971); (sale, C.G. Boerner, Leipzig, May 7-9, 1928, no. 62); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA (Lugt 1760b); gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1966

  • Art in the Making, Colby College Art Museum, Waterville, ME, 1966.

1973

  • Prints of the Italian Renaissance, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1973, no. 189.

1975

  • The Inspired Copy: Artists Look at Art, Baltimore Museum of Art, 1975, no. 16 (exhibited only in April and May).

1982

  • Lessing J. Rosenwald: Tribute to a Collector, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1982, no. 38, repro.

1987

  • Graphic Survey Show, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., November 1987.

2001

  • The Unfinished Print, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2001, as Virgin and Child in a Grotto by Mantegna School, repro.

2004

  • The Unfinished Print, The Frick Collection, New York; Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt am Main, 2004-2005.

Bibliography

1938

  • Hind, Arthur M. Early Italian Engraving; a critical catalogue with complete reproductions of all the prints described. 7 vols. London: Bernard Quaritch Ltd., 1938-1948.

1973

  • Levenson et al. 1973, no.81.

1982

  • Fine, Ruth E. Lessing J. Rosenwald: Tribute to a Collector. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1982, no. 38.

1991

  • Kopper, Philip. America's National Gallery of Art: A Gift to the Nation. New York, 1991: 208, repro.

Watermarks

Bow and Arrow

Wikidata ID

Q64953527

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