The Adoration of the Magi c. 1530-50
Oil on panel | 139.8 x 102.8 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 401377
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There are fifteen paintings in the collection associated with the name Lucas Cranach (I and II); one was acquired in the 17th Century, one in the 18th Century and the remainder in the 19th Century. Prince Albert particularly admired Cranach, acquiring ten works, partly as an example of early German art and partly as the court painter to his ancestors. This example first appears at Windsor Castle in 1872 and was probably acquired by Queen Victoria.
Probably a work of the 1530s, loosely from the circle of Cranach, the composition here is partly inspired by Dürer's prints, especially a woodcut of 1503 which includes the curious detail of the angels holding a scroll in the sky. The Virgin with flowing golden hair sits centre, the naked Child on her lap with a casket of gold coins held between his legs by a kneeling king; two further kings stand, one either side of the central group.Provenance
First recorded in the Round Tower at Windsor Castle in 1879 (Redgrave sheet no 105)
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Creator(s)
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Medium and techniques
Oil on panel
Measurements
139.8 x 102.8 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)
157.9 x 121.1 x 5.7 cm (frame, external)
Category
Object type(s)