Three-segmented, hinged altarpiece painted with scenes of crowds in a hall.
open Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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open Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

This altarpiece consists of a larger central panel with a rounded top and two symmetrical side pieces attached by hinges. The central panel shows a light-skinned woman holding a nude baby. On all sides, male figures of different skin tones present ornate vessels to the baby. On the left, the baby lies on a wooden platform while figures kneel around him. In the right panel, a woman holds the baby on a white table while figures lean toward him. All the scenes take place in a hall with elaborately sculpted columns and doorways that reveal a city landscape outside.

Gallery Text

The unidentified master’s name derives from the date on an altarpiece in a church in Lübeck, Germany. He belonged to a group of artists, active in Antwerp from about 1510 to 1530, whose paintings are characterized by attenuated figures striking mannered poses in brightly colored costumes, and the grafting of Italian Renaissance ornament onto the medieval architecture that often serves as a backdrop. Rather than working on commission, some Antwerp workshops produced ready-made altarpieces depicting standard subjects suitable for ecclesiastical settings that did not require specific iconographic programs. The work on display here belongs to this type and retains the original, plain molding that frames other examples. Many of these retables (altarpieces) were exported through Antwerp trading channels as far as northern Germany, Poland, Spain, and Portugal.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1991.146
People
Master of 1518, Netherlandish (active early 16th century)
Title
The Adoration of the Magi; left panel: The Nativity; right panel: The Presentation in the Temple
Other Titles
Alternate Title: Triptych: Adoration of the Magi; left panel: The Nativity; right panel: The Presentation in the Temple
Classification
Paintings
Work Type
painting
Date
c. 1520
Places
Creation Place: Europe, Belgium, Antwerp
Culture
Netherlandish
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/227236

Location

Location
Level 2, Room 2540, European Art, 13th–16th century, The Renaissance
View this object's location on our interactive map

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Oil on panel
Dimensions
119.4 x 168.9 cm (47 x 66 1/2 in.)
framed: 121 x 172 cm (47 5/8 x 67 11/16 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Anonymous Gift in honor of Seymour Slive
Accession Year
1991
Object Number
1991.146
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Exhibition History

  • Northern European Art from 1450 to 1550, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 08/13/1994 - 02/05/1995
  • 32Q: 2540 Renaissance, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Subjects and Contexts

  • Google Art Project

Related Objects

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu