| Artist | |
|---|---|
| Culture | Italian |
| Date | ca.1380–1385 |
| Object type | painting |
| Medium, technique | tempera and gold on wood |
| Dimensions | 29.8 x 43 cm |
| Inventory number | 33 |
| Collection | Old Master Paintings |
| On view | Museum of Fine Arts, First Floor, European Art 1250-1600, Cabinet 19 |
According to the Gospel of Saint Matthew, when Jesus was born, wise men from the East arrived in Bethlehem to worship the King of the Jews. They brought him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Medieval tradition interpreted the Magi as three kings, embodying the three ages of man: youth, middle age, and old age. In the painting, the oldest king is the first to remove his crown and pay homage to Jesus, bowing down before the infant and kissing his feet. He has already presented his gift to Saint Joseph, who stands on the left. The other two kings point to the star – no longer visible in the picture – which led them to Bethlehem. The work was originally part of a series of scenes decorating the predella of a Gothic polyptych. Four additional fragments (The Nativity, The Journey of the Magi, The Presentation in the Temple, The Massacre of the Innocents) are now in the Museo Bandini in Fiesole. The conventional name of the unknown master, who was a collaborator of Andrea di Cione (Orcagna) and Jacopo di Cione, is derived from a painting attributed to him in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
Pigler, Andor, Katalog der Galerie Alter Meister, 1-2. Museum der Bildenden Künste, Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest. 2, Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1967, p. 234.
Sallay, Dóra, Corpus of Sienese Paintings in Hungary, 1420-1510, Centro Di, Florence, 2015, p. 56, n. 151.
This record is subject to revision due to ongoing research.
