The Adoration of the Kings

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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Notes

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This scene is so unusual that it’s not entirely clear who the figures are intended to represent. Usually the Three Kings are shown kneeling before the Christ Child; here, instead, we can see two of them standing proudly before the Virgin and Child, presenting their gifts in large vessels. We aren't sure which figure is intended to represent the third king.

The figure with the mane of hair who looks straight towards us is John the Baptist. It’s unusual to see him in this scene, but his baptism of Christ is celebrated on 6 January – the same day that the visit of the Three Kings is celebrated.

Bramantino was fascinated by linear perspective (using line to create an impression of three-dimensional space on a flat surface). He created a guide of intersecting lines on this panel, allowing him to paint objects and figures at the correct scale relative to each other so they appear to be in a realistic three-dimensional space.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

The Adoration of the Kings

Date

about 1500

Medium

Oil on poplar

Measurements

H 56.8 x W 55 cm

Accession number

NG3073

Acquisition method

Layard Bequest, 1916

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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