Adoration of the Magi
Series TitleThe Early Life of the Virgin
Artist
Hendrick Goltzius
(Dutch, 1558 - 1617)
Dateca. 1594
MediumEngraving
DimensionsOverall: 18 3/4 × 14 inches (47.63 × 35.56 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
Object number33-482
On View
Not on viewCollections
Exhibition History
The
Christmas Story: 15th-20th-Century Prints, Yellowstone Art
Center, Billings, MT. November 2-December 30, 1979, no cat.
Religious Subjects: A Variety of Approaches, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, March 20-September 24, 2006, no cat.
Religious Subjects: A Variety of Approaches, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, June 8-October 16, 2011, no cat.
Goltzius often emulated the work of other artists to demonstrate his mastery of multiple artistic styles. His stylistic flexibility is evident in this interpretation of the three Magi (or wise men) offering precious gifts to the infant Jesus. Dressed in ornate garments, the distinguished foreigners followed a star to pay homage to the “King of the Jews.” The composition, particularly the dense grouping of figures, derives from Lucas van Leyden’s (1494–1533) engraving of the same subject. Goltzius, however, changed the format from horizontal to vertical.
Collection D’Arenberg, Brussels [1];
With Alden Galleries, Kansas City, MO, by July 19, 1933;
Purchased from Alden Galleries by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1933.
NOTES:
[1] The Arenberg collection's mark appears on the verso of the print, lower left-hand side. Frits Lugt, Les Marques de collections de dessins & d'estampes, online edition by the Fondation Custodia, no. L.567.
Roger Ward, ed., A Bountiful Decade: Selected Acquisitions, 1977-1987, exh. cat.
(Kansas City, MO: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 1987), 240.
George L. McKenna, Prints, 1460-1995 (Kansas City, MO: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 1996), 274-75.
George L. McKenna, Prints, 1460-1995 (Kansas City, MO: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 1996), 274-75.
Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information,
is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete.
Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a
particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum.
If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image,
please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.
