Adoration of the Magi (Stefano da Verona)
Encyclopedia
The Adoration of the Magi is a Gothic painting by Stefano da Verona
. Dating to 1434, it is currently housed in the Pinacoteca di Brera of Milan
, northern Italy
.
The work is signed (Stefanus) and dated, although this has been disputed by several scholars. It is however mentioned by Vasari in his Lives, and was anyway painted by the artist between his return to Verona
(1425) and his death (1438).
In the 19th century it was owned by the Ottolini family of Verona, who ceded it to Domenico Biasoli. The latter sold it in 1818 to the Pinacoteca di Brera, as a work by Stefano Fiorentino
.
by Gentile da Fabriano
(1423) or a common model, is on two levels. The lower one shows the Magi and their procession homaging the Child and the Virgin; the upper one has several scenes with groups of shepherds, the arrival of the Magi led by the comet star and the final part of the procession with dogs and camels.
The foreground depicts the Virgin who sits under the hut with the ox and the donkey, holding the Child on her knees. The three Magi have different stances: the eldest has removed is crown and is kneeling; he is donating an elaborated golden object to the Child, who stretches his hands to accept it and bless him. The mature Magus is portrayed while putting down his crown and a gilt casket in the left hand; the youngest is observing the scene from behind. The two characters with halos, in the first row behind the Child, are St. Joseph and St. Anne. The servants of the Magi include numerous races, from the Mongols to the Moors.
The rich harnesses and the fanciful hats of the members of the procession resemble similar elements work by Pisanello
, who was a friend of Stefano da Verona, and is thus inspired by the dresses of the Byzantine court at the Council of Basel in 1431. The peacock on the hut's top is a early Christian symbol of resurrection and immortality, as, since Roman times, his flesh was deemed not to be prone to rotting. The violet symbolizes Christ's humility, the red carnation the Passion.
The painter's signature, in golden letters, is located at the bottom center.
Stefano da Verona
Stefano da Verona was an Italian painter who was active in Verona.He was the son of the French painter Jean d'Arbois, who had come to Italy at the court for Gian Galeazzo Visconti after working for Philip II of Burgundy. He likely apprenticed at Pavia in the workshops of illuminators of the Visconti...
. Dating to 1434, it is currently housed in the Pinacoteca di Brera of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
The work is signed (Stefanus) and dated, although this has been disputed by several scholars. It is however mentioned by Vasari in his Lives, and was anyway painted by the artist between his return to Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
(1425) and his death (1438).
In the 19th century it was owned by the Ottolini family of Verona, who ceded it to Domenico Biasoli. The latter sold it in 1818 to the Pinacoteca di Brera, as a work by Stefano Fiorentino
Stefano Fiorentino
Stefano Fiorentino was an Italian painter of the time of Giotto.Born in Florence, he is mentioned in numerous literary sources, most notably the Lives of the Artists by Giorgio Vasari; other writers in whose works he appears include Franco Sacchetti and Filippo Villani...
.
Description
The scene, some details of which come from the Adoration of the MagiAdoration of the Magi (Gentile da Fabriano)
The Adoration of the Magi is a painting by the Italian artist Gentile da Fabriano. The work, housed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, is considered his finest work, and has been described as "the culminating work of International Gothic painting"....
by Gentile da Fabriano
Gentile da Fabriano
Gentile da Fabriano was an Italian painter known for his participation in the International Gothic style. He worked in various places in central Italy, mostly in Tuscany. His best known works are his Adoration of the Magi and the Flight into Egypt.-Biography:Gentile was born in or near Fabriano,...
(1423) or a common model, is on two levels. The lower one shows the Magi and their procession homaging the Child and the Virgin; the upper one has several scenes with groups of shepherds, the arrival of the Magi led by the comet star and the final part of the procession with dogs and camels.
The foreground depicts the Virgin who sits under the hut with the ox and the donkey, holding the Child on her knees. The three Magi have different stances: the eldest has removed is crown and is kneeling; he is donating an elaborated golden object to the Child, who stretches his hands to accept it and bless him. The mature Magus is portrayed while putting down his crown and a gilt casket in the left hand; the youngest is observing the scene from behind. The two characters with halos, in the first row behind the Child, are St. Joseph and St. Anne. The servants of the Magi include numerous races, from the Mongols to the Moors.
The rich harnesses and the fanciful hats of the members of the procession resemble similar elements work by Pisanello
Pisanello
Pisanello , known professionally as Antonio di Puccio Pisano or Antonio di Puccio da Cereto, also erroneously called Vittore Pisano by Giorgio Vasari, was one of the most distinguished painters of the early Italian Renaissance and Quattrocento...
, who was a friend of Stefano da Verona, and is thus inspired by the dresses of the Byzantine court at the Council of Basel in 1431. The peacock on the hut's top is a early Christian symbol of resurrection and immortality, as, since Roman times, his flesh was deemed not to be prone to rotting. The violet symbolizes Christ's humility, the red carnation the Passion.
The painter's signature, in golden letters, is located at the bottom center.