The Adoration of the Magi
1460 - 1470. Oil on baltic oak planks.Not on display
The painting depicts the Epiphany or the Magi adoring the newborn Child. It is striking that the Child is not positioned in the centre; instead, the focal point appears to be the first magus who is kissing his feet. Mary, with the Child on her lap, presses her left hand against her chest; this pensive gesture alludes to the sacrifice of her son, lying on a white cloth that foreshadows the shroud. On the left, positioned more discreetly, Saint Joseph appears to be ascending some steps to make his appearance on the scene. He carries the flowering rod that identified him as Mary’s betrothed and a black hat. Between them on a small table stands a gold vessel, one of the Magi’s gifts. Joseph’s coarse attire contrasts with the first magus’s rich clothing, notably his gold belt with a purse, leather boots, velvet cape and the jewelled trimming on the sleeve and hem of his tunic. His hat is lying on the ground beside the chasm alluding to the “Cave of Treasures”, the spot where, according to this apocryphal text that was popular in the Middle Ages, the Magi’s gifts had been buried.
The Museum’s directors to catalogue it officially as an ‘imitation of Memling’ in 1913. From a formal viewpoint, the work is based on the central panel of the triptych executed by Rogier van der Weyden for the church of Saint Columba in Cologne, now in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, but it also has a direct link with Memling’s own version in the Prado (P001557). Although undeniably a follower of Rogier van der Weyden, the Master of the Adoration of the Magi must be linked to another pupil, the Master of the Saint Catherine Legend.
In conclusion, taking as a basis Rogier van der Weyden’s Saint Columba Triptych, but also drawing inspiration from other works, the painter of the Adoration of the Magi adopts an approach to the theme of the epiphany that is stylistically very different from Rogier’s. He is generally more cautious or fearful, less prone – owing, perhaps, to his more limited abilities – to Van der Weyden’s displays of technical prowess to achieve a beautiful result, as is evident, for example, in the hat on the ground and the figure of the third magus. He also departs from Rogier in his excessive fondness for vertical lines – as in Saint Joseph’s clothing or the sleeves of the second and third magi – which to an extent diminishes the splendour of the Prado work. Indeed, where Rogier does employ vertical lines he does so boldly and powerfully, such as in the third magus’s trailing sleeve, forcing him to portray the figure from behind, whereas the Master of the Adoration does not dare to use such a risky formula and leaves part of the magus’s skirt visible to help mark the perspective.
Pérez Preciado, José Juan, Fifteenth-century netherlandish painting at the Museo Nacional del Prado. Catalogue raisonné, Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado, 2024, p.156-164 nº.17
