The Adoration of the Magi Set in a Border

c. 1480

German 15th Century

Associated Names
German 15th Century

Artist

This is a painting of a decorative religious scene with figures surrounded by elaborate foliage. The image displays individuals dressed in traditional robes within swirling green vines and foliage patterns forming ornate circular frames. The figures appear to be involved in religious or ceremonial activities, as depicted by their gestures and the presence of a halo around one figure who is seated with an infant. The style suggests it is likely from the medieval period, marked by flat figures, bold outlines, and typical of early European art. It resembles illuminated manuscripts or woodcut illustrations from the late medieval period.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut, hand-colored in red, lt. green, brown, and yellow

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.859

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Schreiber, Vol. *, no. 112, State a

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Weiss & Co., Munich); Martin Aufhäuser [1875-1944], Munich, Holland, and Los Angeles; [1] Lessing J. Rosenwald, Jenkintown, PA; gift to NGA, 1943.
[1] For more information on Aufhäuser's collection, see Gallery Archives, National Gallery of Art, Rosenwald Papers, Box 9; Lessing J. Rosenwald, Recollections of a Collector, Jenkintown, Pa, 1976, pp. 14-18, and Richard S. Field, Fifteenth Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts, Washington, D.C., 1965, Preface (np).

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1965

  • Fifteenth-Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, NGA, 1965-1966, no. 12, repro.

Bibliography

1926

  • Schreiber, Wilhelm Ludwig. Handbuch de Holz- und Metailschnitte des XV Jahrhunderts. 8 vols. Leipzig: Verlag Karl W. Hierseman, 1926-1930.

1965

  • Field, Richard S. Fifteenth Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.. Exh. cat. Washington: National Gallery of Art, 1965.

Wikidata ID

Q64953501

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