2. the Adoration of the Magi through masterpieces and lesser-known works from the Uffizi Galleries' collections …

3. The Adoration of the Magi
at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery

4. The Nativity, together with the subsequent episode, the arrival of the Three Wise Men, has been depicted,
carved and painted in thousands of different versions, according to the tastes of their period.

7. Gentile da Fabriano
Adoration of the Magi
L'Adoration des mages
Adoración de los Reyes Magos
1423
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

8. The polyptych was commissioned by Palla Strozzi, a wealthy Florentine merchant, for the chapel of his family
in Santa Trinita Church in 1423.
The subject of the Adoration of the Magi was perfectly suitable for the realization of a sumptuous religious scene
celebrating the wealth of its patron and the artist’s technical skills.
The narration starts with the three lunettes above, depicting the appearance of the guiding star to the Magi, their
journey and arrival in Jerusalem.
A colorful procession, including even exotic animals (a cheetah and two monkeys), is represented in the center.
Surrounded by two elegant maids and St. Joseph, the Madonna with the Child is sitting in front of a wall that
resembles a city gate.

10. In front of the Child, the oldest of the three Magi is kneeling down crownless while receiving a tender caress
on his bare head.
The other two wise men are following him to present their gifts, while a squire is removing the spurs from
the youngest one’s boots.
The whole group is dressed in opulent robes decorated with elaborate motives and made of the most
precious materials, similar to the ones Palla Strozzi used to trade.

13. The two figures at the center are the portraits of the patron (the elegant man with the turban and the falcon)
and his son Lorenzo (the boy with the red hat).

16. Gentile's typical attention for detail is also evident in the exotic animals,
such as a leopard, a dromedary, some apes and a lion, as well as the magnificent horses and a hound.

18. Sandro Botticelli
Adoration of the Magi, Zanobi Altar
L'Adoration des mages
Adoración de los Magos
c. 1475
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

19. Sandro Botticelli painted the Adoration of the Magi around 1475 ...
Commissioned the workt the banker Gaspare di Zanobi del Lama, who made built the chapel in Santa Maria Novella
to atone for his sins. At the time, bankers' work was considered similar to the sin of usury.
The Medici family, which protected both the banker that the painter, is represented in the work.
The three Magi - representing the stages of life - are Cosimo the Elder and his sons Pietro and Giovanni.
There are also other characters, very important for the Medicean Florence and Botticelli himself, in a self-portrait,
in the group of people on the right.

26. Domenico Ghirlandaio
Adoration of the Magi
L'Adoration des mages
Adoración de los Magos
1487
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

27. a large circular painting for the Tornabuoni family ...
the ruins of an ancient building, the stable where Jesus was born, that alludes to the birth of Christianity
and the collapse of pagan religion;
the Virgin and Child, the Wise Men are kneeling before them;
soldiers in magnificent contemporary armor, horses ...

33. Leonardo da Vinci
Adoration of the Magi
L’Adoration des mages
Adoración de los Magos
1481-1482
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

34. The Augustinian friars of San Donato in Scopeto (Florence) commissioned this work from Leonardo in 1481,
but he left it unfinished ...
Leonardo’s masterpiece is therefore suspended in execution to an initial level of a rough sketch.
The painting represents the celebration of the feast of the Epiphany when, according to St. Augustine, all people
respond to the call of Christ.
An extremely complex composition, which is very rich with figures set out in a semi-circle, with the Virgin and Child
as the central focus.

43. Filippino Lippi
Adoration of the Magi
L'Adoration des mages
Adoración de los Magos
1496
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

44. Painted for the main altar of the church of San Donato a Scopeto in Florence, in place of the one commissioned
from Leonardo da Vinci several years before ...

46. a composition rich in characters ...
the kneeling man wearing a sumptuous, fur-lined yellow robe and who carries an astrolabe,
alluding to the astrological knowledge of the magi is Pierfrancesco de' Medici the Elder
his sons, Lorenzo il Popolano and Giovanni il Popolano are recognizable as the king being crowned
and the young blond alongside him, holding the vase

49. Lorenzo Monaco
Adoration of the Magi
L'Adoration des mages
Adoración de los Magos
c. 1422
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

50. wholly Gothic style ...
the nativity scene:
the Madonna, wearing a dark blue garment with three stars (symbols of virginity), is sitting on a stone and showing
the Christ child to the spectators
the Magi's procession:
differently from the Gospel tradition, they are not all portrayed as old men, but with three different ages
symbolizing the ages of man;
their followers include a variety of ethnicities, from the Moors to the Tatars, as well as animals such as hounds
and camels

55. Andrea Mantegna
The Adoration of the Magi, Uffizi Triptych
L'Adoration des mages, Le triptyque des Offices
Adoración de los Magos,Tríptico de los Uffizi
1460-1464
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

56. the Magi are depicted while descending to the Child's grotto from a path carved out in the rock ...
the Virgin is portrayed with a crown of angels, according to a Byzantine model
exotic characters and animals, including oriental turbans, Byzantine hats, Mongolian archer

62. Albrecht Dürer
Adoration of the Magi
L'Adoration des mages
Adoración de los Magos
1504
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

63. A masterpiece of elegantly combined Nordic models and Italian influences …
The iconographic choice is focused on the main characters:
the Virgin showing the Christ Child to the three Wise Men, who have brought gifts of gold, incense
and myrrh.

65. The shapes and colours of the ruins, the horsemen in the background and distant landscape, all create
a marvellous balance with the Nativity scene.
The whole scene is described in elegant detail and search for particulars: fabrics, brocades, crowns and
goblets, rubies, pearls, the Virgin’s veil, feathers, animals, and plants.

69. the youthful Melchior has Dürer's features with his long hair and beard …

70. olga_oes
The Adoration of the Magi at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery
L’Adoration des mages à la Galerie des Offices de Florence
La Adoración de los Reyes Magos en la Galería Uffizi de Florencia
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