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Description: | The triptych, of which this scene of the Adoration of the Magi is the central panel, would have been placed upon a small side altar as an aid to piety and a source of instruction. For most of the year, it would have been shown open displaying the Nativity, Adoration of the Magi and Presentation which correspond to the three feasts of Christ's infancy in the church year, Christmas, Epiphany and Candlemas. During Lent, however, the wings would have been closed to shown the Annunciation in grisaille (painting in monochrome) on the exterior. This panel shows the arrival of the three kings, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar with gifts of gold (for royalty), frankincense (for divinity) and myrrh (for mortality). The event, known as the Epiphany, represents the manifestation of God to the Gentiles. The artist contrasts the fantastic richness of the kings with the simplicity of the Holy Family. Ysenbrandt spent his working life in Bruges, at that time an important artistic centre. He continued the tradition of the great Bruges painters, Hans Memling (1430/5-94) and Gerard David ((d. 1523). Little is known about his life and he left no known signed works, but a number of paintings, including this piece, have been attributed to him on the basis of style alone. | Subjects: | religion (Adoration of the Magi) | Source: | Vads | Creator: | Artist: Ysenbrandt, Adrien (Flemish painter, ca. 1500-before 1551) Æ | Identifier: | http://www.vads.ac.uk/large.php?uid=9174... | Go to resource |
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