Adoration of the Magi (Gentile da Fabriano)

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Adoration of the Magi
Gentile da Fabriano - Adorazione dei Magi - Google Art ProjectFXD.jpg
Artist Gentile da Fabriano
Year1423
MediumTempera on panel
Dimensions300 cm× 282 cm(120 in× 111 in)
Location Uffizi Gallery, Florence

The Adoration of the Magi is a painting by the Italian painter Gentile da Fabriano. The work, housed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence is considered his finest work and has been described as "the culminating work of International Gothic painting". [1]

Contents

The artwork was commissioned by the wealthy banker Palla Strozzi. It incorporates many notable elements. The use of vibrant colors creates a brilliant and imposing effect. Techniques such as lighting, depth, and three-dimensionality are prevalent in the work and were novel for the time. [2] Expensive materials such as gold leaf and jewels were used to showcase the patron's wealth. [3]

Other elements of the altarpiece draw upon European conceptions and imagery about the Orient, such as exotic animals, the designs of the three Magis's luxurious clothing and Arabic imitation script.

The gold-leafed frame is a work of art in itself, with intricate Gothic ornamental architectural designs. [4]

History

The painting was commissioned by the wealthy Florentine banker Palla Strozzi in 1420, soon after the arrival of Gentile to the city. The theme of the adoration of the Magi lent itself well to a sumptuous and opulent staging, to showcase the wealth of the patron. Palla paid a total of 300 florins for the altarpiece, [5] a considerable sum at the time equivalent to six times the annual salary of a skilled labourer. [6]

The painting was intended for the new chapel of the church of Santa Trinita that Lorenzo Ghiberti was finishing durint those years.

According to Baldwin, [7] both Palla Strozzi and his father, Onofrio, appear in the painting; Palla as the man in the red hat in the forefront of the painting, and Onofrio as the falcon trainer situated behind the youngest king. According to other opinions, the falcon trainer depicts the commissioner Palla Strozzi with his eldest son Lorenzo to his right. [8] [9]

Description

In this work Gentile achieves a level of artistic perfection that he will never reach again in his career, [10] bringing the International Gothic style to its most opulent expression. His detailed representations of the natural world and complex compositions greatly influenced Florentine Renaissance painting.

The artist utilized a naturalistic approach throughout the painting, something quite novel at the time. Notably, the faces of the figures have varied facial expressions. [11] Gentile employs lighter brush strokes creating softer fur, leaves, fabrics, and shadows than other painters during his time. [12]

The center of the panel shows the Magi adoring the Christ Child. Gentile da fabriano, adorazione dei magi.jpg
The center of the panel shows the Magi adoring the Christ Child.


The appearance of three-dimensionality is created by layering larger figures on top of smaller ones. In the case of the horses to the right, Gentile also uses foreshortening. However, the building to the left shows a still primitive use of linear perspective and in the right side of the painting.

The appearance of three-dimensionality is created by layering larger figures on top of smaller ones. In the case of the horses to the right, Gentile also uses foreshortening. However, the building to the left shows a still primitive use of linear perspective, as well as the right side background of the painting, where figures are all clustered and not given the same perspective as the animals. [13]

Gentile depicts the Magi's long journey, taking advantage of the arches of the frame to depict three different scenes. On the left, The Magi are shown facing away of the viewer at the start of their trip. In the middle, they are shown about to enter the city of Jerusalem. And in a slim section on the right, they are entering Bethlehem. The procession proceeds clockwise, with a large crowd of figures on the right side wearing splendid Renaissance clothes with brocades, richly decorated with real gold and precious stones that have been inserted in the panel. The Magi occupy the center of the composition, with Joseph and the Virgin Mary with the newborn Jesus on the left. [14] The Magi are depicted taking off their golden crowns to pay their respect. [12]

Gentile includes exotic animals in many parts of the painting, such as leopards, a dromedary, monkeys and a lion to give the impression of visitors from distant lands. Notice the three leopards mounted on top of a white horse in front of the Magi in the middle lunette.

Predella

The predella has three elongated rectangular paintings with scenes of Jesus' childhood: the Nativity, the Flight to Egypt and the Presentation at the Temple (the latter is a copy, since the original was removed from the altarpiece and is in the Louvre in Paris). [13] [15] It is the first altarpiece that is known that is made with panels and frames in two separate pieces. [16] Gentile's incorporation of this self-supporting frame, intended to protect the painting rather that being inseparable from the painting, was influential in the evolution of the purpose of a painting's frame. [17]

Left: Scene of the Nativity. Gentile da Fabriano 029.jpg
Left: Scene of the Nativity.
Center: Scene of the Flight to Egypt . Gentile da Fabriano -- Adoration of the Magi -- Predella.jpg
Center: Scene of the Flight to Egypt .
Right: Scene of the Presentation in the Temple. Gentile da Fabriano. The Presentation in the Temple. 1423.jpg
Right: Scene of the Presentation in the Temple.


Materials and Techniques

The whole work is intended to showcase the patron's wealth. The main figures are bejeweled ed and decorated with gold leaf and silver, using the technique of pastiglia to create a rich three-dimensional texture in crowns, textiles, and spurs. [3] Mary's blue robe was painted using the expensive color ultramarine.


Detail of Magi kissing the feed of the Christ Child showing the exquisite gold leaf work. Gentile da fabriano, adorazione dei magi, 1423, 04,1.jpg
Detail of Magi kissing the feed of the Christ Child showing the exquisite gold leaf work.


Architectural frame

The frame of the Adoration of the Magi is in itself a marvelous work of art and was almost certainly designed by Gentile. [10]

It is designed in an International Gothic style and adapts several elements the façade Orsanmichele church in Florence, designed by Lorenzo Ghiberti, including the thin colonnettes of the niches of the statues and the lambrequin arches and filigreed design of its window arches. [4] Gentile also included painted flowers on some of the piers, a rare feature. [3] [18] The frame is also characterized with polychromy, gold, and silver, all of which contribute to its dazzling impact.

The frame has three cusps with tondos portraying Christ Blessing (center) and the Annunciation, with the Archangel Gabriel on the left and the Madonna on the right. [18] The three arches of the frame help to clearly separate these narratives from the three scenes below that depict the journey of the Magi.

Elements of the Orient

Islamic fabrics

The designs of the Magi's recall Islamic luxury textiles Gentile da Fabriano - The Adoration of the Magi (detail) - WGA08541.jpg
The designs of the Magi's recall Islamic luxury textiles

The sumptuous the clothes of the Magi recall expensive materials such as silks, velvet, brocades, and damasks draw inspiration from the luxury textiles from the Orient imported to Florence by wealthy families. [19] The textiles are also meant to evoke the Holy Land . [3]

They show rich patterns gold pastiglia and floral designs that include ogival and fluctuating stem patterns. [19] . The magi Caspar is shown dressed in a dark tunic contrasted against the a pattern of gold pomegranates [20] which symbolized Jesus' death in the cross and his rebirth in Christian iconography. The dress of the other two magi, Melchior and Balthazar, also include gold, silver, and detailed floral designs. [3] Some men in the group to the right are wearing turbans, which gives the impression of a procession of notables that have come from the Orient with the Magi.

Exotic animals

Monkeys restrained with chains to signify ownership. Gentile da Fabriano 005.jpg
Monkeys restrained with chains to signify ownership.

Exotic animals are included in the altarpiece to establish a Middle Eastern setting for the work. [3] They were also a sign of wealth and connection. Camels were given as gifts, monkeys were collected, and lions and leopards were trained for purposes such as hunting. All of these non-European animals can be found in the painting.

A white dogis also included in the scene in the lower right corner. Dogs in paintings can be connected to classical antiquity since dogs were commonly depicted in Greco-Roman arts such as Roman sarcophagi. [21]

Falcons are also depicted, which were linked to Persian and Arabian traditions [3] and were used for hunting sport by the nobility. [22] Palla Strozzi, the patron, is painted in the image holding a falcon. In addition to signify his status, it also serves as a visual pun, since the term "falconer" translates to Strozzieri in the Tuscan dialect. [4] Another falcon in the painting is situated just below in the middle of arch and is shown flying and spreading its wings. The falcon in religious works may evoke the Holy Spirit. [23]

Pseudo-Arabic inscriptions

Pseudo-Arabic script in the Virgin Mary's halo Gentile da Fabriano 015.jpg
Pseudo-Arabic script in the Virgin Mary's halo

Gentile placed pseudo-Arabic gold leaf lettering in the golden halos of Mary and Joseph, thus creating a connection to the Holy Land. [24] The script is divided by rosettes like those on Mamluk plates.

The growing trade relationships with the East, mainly the Mamluk Sultanate, brought goods such as ceramics, metalwork and textiles to Florence, which helped spread Arabic writing, much admired for its luxuriousness and exotic qualities. [25] Gentile's pre-Florentine paintings do not include pseudo-Arabic inscriptions. [19] Gentile da Fabriano's Florentine paintings also include pseudo-Arabic inscriptions, such as in his the Mary's halo in the Coronation of the Virgin and the Madonna and Child.

References

  1. ↑ Hyman, Timothy (2003). Sienese Painting: The Art of a City-Republic. World of Art. Thames & Hudson. ISBN   978-0500203729.
  2. ↑ Wohl, Hellmut (2003). "Gentile (di Niccolò di Massio) da Fabriano" . Oxford Art Online. doi:10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.T031359. ISBN   978-1-884446-05-4.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Gentile da Fabriano, Adoration of the Magi (reframed) – Smarthistory". smarthistory.org. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Tresidder, Warren (1995). "Lorenzo Ghiberti and the Frame of Gentile da Fabriano's "Adoration of the Magi"" . Source: Notes in the History of Art. 14 (4): 8–13. doi:10.1086/sou.14.4.23205607. ISSN   0737-4453. JSTOR   23205607. S2CID   191399839.
  5. ↑ Mary Hollingsworth; "Patronage in Renaissance Italy: From 1400 to the Early Sixteenth Century", p. 41, John Murray, 1994 ISBN   0719549264.
  6. ↑ Niccolo Capponi; "An Unlikely Prince: The Life and Times of Machiavelli", p. 9, Da Capo Press, 2010 ISBN   9780306817564.
  7. ↑ Baldwin, Robert (2007). "GENTILE DA FABRIANO (c. 1390–1427): International Style and Court Culture" (PDF). Social History of Art, by Robert Baldwin.
  8. ↑ Palazzo Strozzi Archived 3 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine (pdf; 1.39 MB)
  9. ↑ Ingeborg Walter, Die Strozzi: Eine Familie im Florenz der Renaissance, Beck Munic 2011, p. 27
  10. 1 2 Petrioli Tofani, Annamaria (Ed.); and Cecchi, Alessandro; Contini, Roberto (2000). Italian Painting – The Uffizi, Florence. Italy: Taschen. p. 168. ISBN   3-8228-5999-0.
  11. ↑ Christiansen, Keith (1982). Gentile da Fabriano. Cornell University Press. ISBN   0801413605.
  12. 1 2 "Gentile da Fabriano, Adoration of the Magi – Smarthistory". smarthistory.org. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  13. 1 2 Barolsky, Paul (2004). "A Gentile Paradise" . Source: Notes in the History of Art. 24 (1): 11–13. doi:10.1086/sou.24.1.23207890. ISSN   0737-4453. JSTOR   23207890. S2CID   191391320.
  14. ↑ Discovering the great masters: the art lover's guide to understanding symbols in paintings. 1 July 2010.
  15. ↑ "Gentile da Fabriano – Adoration of the Magi, 1423". 13 March 2018. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  16. ↑ Geraghty, Ian. "Recent History of Framing" . Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  17. ↑ Kanter, Laurence B.; Bisacca, George (October 2008). "Italian Renaissance Frames". Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  18. 1 2 "Adoration of the magi by Gentile da Fabriano | Artworks | Uffizi Galleries". www.uffizi.it. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  19. 1 2 3 Mack, Rosamond E. (2002). Bazaar to Piazza: Islamic Trade and Italian Art, 1300–1600. University of California Press. ISBN   978-0-520-22131-4. OCLC   718511284.
  20. ↑ Brooke, Ruby (Spring 2018). "Gentile da Fabriano's Adoration of the Magi: Iconographic Influences of Decorative Arts from the Islamic World". Bard Undergraduate Senior Projects– via Bard Digital Commons.
  21. ↑ Panczenko, Russell (1980). "Gentile da Fabriano and Classical Antiquity" . Artibus et Historiae. 1 (2): 9–27. doi:10.2307/1483153. ISSN   0391-9064. JSTOR   1483153.
  22. ↑ Boehm, Barbara Drake; Holcomb, Melanie (2001). "Animals in Medieval Art". Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  23. ↑ "Discovering the great masters: the art lover's guide to understanding symbols in paintings". Choice Reviews Online. 47 (11): 47–6052-47-6052. 1 July 2010. doi:10.5860/choice.47-6052 (inactive 1 July 2025). ISSN   0009-4978.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)
  24. ↑ Christian, Kathleen R.; Clark, Leah (2017). European Art and the Wider World, 1350–1550. Manchester University Press. ISBN   978-1-5261-2290-2. OCLC   1050039882.
  25. ↑ Nagel, Alexander (2011). "Twenty-five notes on pseudoscript in Italian art" . RES: Anthropology and Aesthetics. 59–60 (59/60): 228–248. doi:10.1086/RESvn1ms23647792. ISSN   0277-1322. JSTOR   23647792. S2CID   157408917.

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