17th Century Painting by Italian School, Adoration of the Magi

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17th Century Painting by Italian School, Adoration of the Magi

About the Item

17th century painting by Venetian School, Adoration of the Magi Italy, Venice The oil on canvas painting represents the Adoration of the Magi and is the work of a painter active in the Venetian area between the end of the seventeenth and the beginning of the 18th century. Typical of Venetian area is the composition and the iconographic model. The same are the stylistic characteristics, the bright colors, the tonal painting and the lighting research for the rendering of fabrics and materials, as well as the atmosphere. On the left is depicted Mary with Child in her womb sitting outside a hut in wood and straw. Another on the left, Joseph attends the scene. Before them the eldest of the Magi bows, Melchior, lavishly dressed in a golden mantle and shrouded in ermine. Behind him, Jasper, the youngest, covered with a red cloak, uses the tray that a young boy leans over him. On the right, standing, Balthasar, dark-skinned and dressed in oriental clothes, turban and wide pink mantle, reaches the other Magi offering his gift. All around many secondary characters, slaves and soldiers, participate in the moment. Someone are arriving in the saddle of horses and dromedaries. In the open-air there are some trees, large rocks and a clear sky and intense blue on which they stand out, among golden clouds, some cherubs and putti. The story of the Magi is a legend that comes from far away, in exotic lands and rich in many traditions. The three mysterious characters are mentioned only in the Gospel of Matthew (2:1-12) which speaks of the Magi who arrived in Jerusalem, led in Judea by a star, All the information we have about the Magi comes from the Apocryphal Gospels and from some reconstructions. Originally from the Iranian plateau, the Magi were wise astrologers. They were called Melchior the eldest, Balthasar, King of Babylon, and finally Jasper the youngest, and brought as a gift gold, frankincense and myrrh. The gifts of the Magi have a particular meaning; they refer to the dual nature of Jesus, the human and the divine: gold because it is the gift reserved to Kings and Jesus is the King of Kings, incense, as a witness of worship to his divinity, because Jesus is God, the myrrh, used in the cult of the dead, because Jesus is man and as man, mortal, therefore a foretaste of his future redemptive suffering. It was St. Leo who established that the Magi were three, like the continents then known, like the human races, like the ages of man, like the partitions of time. According to the Gospel account, the Magi, upon their arrival in Jerusalem, first, visited Herod, the king of Roman Judea, asking where was the king who had been born, "saw his star rise. Herod, showing that he did not know the prophecy of the Old Testament, was troubled and asked the scribes where the Messiah was to be born. Knowing that it was Bethlehem, he sent them to that place urging them to find the child and report the details of the place where to find him, "so that he too could worship him" (2:1-8). Led by the star, they came to Bethlehem and came to the place where Jesus was born, prostrating themselves in worship and offering him a gift of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they returned to their homeland by another way (2,9-11). Having discovered the deception, Herod became enraged and sent to kill all the children of Bethlehem under the age of two, giving rise to the Slaughter of the Innocents (2:16-18), but Joseph, warned in advance in a dream, fled to Egypt (2:13-14) with his family. This painting, of good workmanship, has a strong decorative value accentuated by the richness and intensity of the coloristic tones and the splendour of the described clothes.

Dimensions:
Height: 25.6 in (65 cm)Width: 42.52 in (108 cm)Depth: 1.97 in (5 cm)
Style:
Baroque (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Canvas,Hand-Painted
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
Late 17th Century
Date of Manufacture:
Late 17th Century
Condition:
Seller Location:
IT
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU4405218884262