Adoration of the Magi (Gentile da Fabriano) in the context of International Gothic art in Italy

⭐ Core Definition: Adoration of the Magi (Gentile da Fabriano)

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 the International Gothic style.

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. Expensive materials such as gold leaf and jewels are incised in the painting to showcase the patron's wealth.

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👉 Adoration of the Magi (Gentile da Fabriano) in the context of International Gothic art in Italy

International Gothic (or Late Gothic) art is a style of figurative art datable between about 1370 and, in Italy, the first half of the 15th century.

As the name emphasizes, this stylistic phase had an international scope, with common features as well as many local variables. The style did not spread from a center of irradiation, as had been the case, for example, with Gothic art and the Île-de-France, but was rather the result of a dialogue between European courts, fostered by the numerous mutual exchanges. Among these courts, the papal court played a prominent role, particularly the Avignon court, a true center of gathering and exchange for artists from all over the continent.

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⭐ Core Definition: Adoration of the Magi (Gentile da Fabriano)
👉 Adoration of the Magi (Gentile da Fabriano) in the context of International Gothic art in Italy
Adoration of the Magi (Gentile da Fabriano) in the context of Adoration of the Magi
Adoration of the Magi (Gentile da Fabriano) in the context of Gentile da Fabriano

Adoration of the Magi (Gentile da Fabriano) in the context of Adoration of the Magi

The Adoration of the Magi or Adoration of the Kings or Visitation of the Wise Men is the name traditionally given to the subject in the Nativity of Jesus in art in which the three Magi, represented as kings, especially in the West, having found Jesus by following a star, lay before him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and worship him. It is related in the Bible by Matthew 2:11: "On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another path".

Christian iconography considerably expanded the bare account of the Biblical Magi described in the Gospel of Matthew (2:1–22). By the later Middle Ages this drew from non-canonical sources like the Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine. Artists used the expanded Christian iconography to reinforce the idea that Jesus was recognized, from his earliest infancy, as king of the earth. The adoration scene was often used to represent the Nativity, one of the most indispensable episodes in cycles of the Life of the Virgin as well as the Life of Christ.

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Adoration of the Magi (Gentile da Fabriano) in the context of Gentile da Fabriano

Gentile da Fabriano (c. 1370 – 1427) was an Italian painter known for his participation in the International Gothic pictorial style. He worked in various places in central Italy, mostly in Tuscany.

His best-known works are his Adoration of the Magi from the Strozzi Altarpiece (1423), and the Flight into Egypt. Following a visit to Florence in 1419, he came in contact with humanism, which influenced his work throughout the rest of his career. He became highly influential on other painters in Florence, especially with his detailed representations inspired by his observations of the natural world.

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