Adoration of the Magi in a Landscape
Artist
Francesco Botticini
(Italian, 1446-1497)
CultureItalian
Datelate 1400s
MediumTempera on panel
Dimensions31 1/2 x 31 1/2 in. (80 x 80 cm)
Overall, Frame: 38 x 37 1/2 x 3 1/4 in. (96.5 x 95.3 x 8.3 cm)
Overall, Frame: 38 x 37 1/2 x 3 1/4 in. (96.5 x 95.3 x 8.3 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Irene Leache Memorial Foundation
Object number2014.3.2
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 202
Label TextFrancesco Botticini Italian, 1446–1497 Adoration of the Magi in a Landscape, late 1400s Tempera on wood Scholars have puzzled over why the artist assembled these discrete holy scenes. The Adoration of the Magi unfolds in the foreground, as one of the three kings tenderly kisses the feet of the infant Christ. Behind them, Saint Jerome prays near a lion, Saint Christopher carries the Christ child across a river, and Saint Francis is transfixed by a vision of the cross. At the bottom, the entombed Christ appears as the Man of Sorrows, alluding to his sacrifice for humankind. Despite this somber detail, the rest of painting exudes an almost playful charm—a quality enhanced by the jewel-like colors and delicately crafted figures. Could the painting have been ordered by someone who found quiet joy in such a highly imaginative collection of holy figures? Gift of the Irene Leache Memorial Foundation 2014.3.2 ProvenanceGift of the Irene Leache Memorial Foundation to the Chrysler Museum of Art, March 2014.Exhibition HistoryNew School for Social Research, New York, NY, spring 1946. "Life of Christ," Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT, March - April 1948. Published ReferencesBurton B. Fredericksen and Federico Zeri, _Census of Pre-Nineteenth-Century Italian Paintings in North American Public Collections_ (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1972), 35. Jefferson C. Harrison, "Italian Art - Fourteenth to Sixteenth Century," The Chrysler Museum Gallery Guide (Norfolk, VA: 1987), 3, no. 4, ill. b/w. Lisa Venturini, _Francesco Botticini_ (Florence: Edifir Edizioni Firenze, 1994), 77, 118.
