Artwork
The Adoration of the Christ Child
The Adoration of the Christ Child is an oil painting by the Early Renaissance artist Cosimo Rosselli. It dates from 1500 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
In its iconography, the composition gathers the Holy Family and surrounding figures around the infant Christ, who is rendered as the object of adoration.
The painting depicts the Nativity of Jesus, centered on the figure of the Christ Child as the focal point of veneration. Created in 1500 by Cosimo Rosselli in Florence, the work belongs to the tradition of religious art and presents the Christ Child as the principal subject of devotion.
In its iconography, the composition gathers the Holy Family and surrounding figures around the infant Christ, who is rendered as the object of adoration. The use of tempera on panel, a technique rooted in late medieval and early Renaissance devotional practice, reinforces the sacred character of the scene. The work's identification with the Nativity of Jesus as its main subject situates it within a long visual tradition of celebrating the birth of Christ through intimate, contemplative imagery rather than grand narrative spectacle.
Technique & Style
Created in 1500 by Cosimo Rosselli, this religious panel painting employs a mixed technique combining tempera and oil paint. The work was executed in Florence on a wooden panel support, a standard format for the period that allows for the layered application of these mediums. Stylistically, the piece depicts the Nativity of Jesus, focusing on the Adoration of the Christ Child within a traditional devotional framework.
The painting is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it is displayed in room 0.5.
History & Provenance
The Adoration of the Christ Child was created circa 1500 in Florence, painted in tempera on panel (with oil paint also noted). The painting entered the collection of Julius Wilhelm Edwin vom Rath before being acquired by the Rijksmuseum, where it is now housed in room 0.5. No further details about its original commission or earlier provenance are provided in the sources. Its inception is recorded as 1500-00-00 in the Wikidata entry.
Context
Created in 1500 by Cosimo Rosselli, The Adoration of the Christ Child exemplifies the religious painting tradition of Florence during the early sixteenth century. The work, executed in tempera and oil on panel, depicts the Nativity of Jesus and is currently held by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. While specific critical debates regarding this single canvas are not detailed in the provided records, its attribution to Rosselli situates it within the broader context of Florentine religious art of the period.
The painting's presence in a major public collection underscores its recognized status as a significant example of Rosselli's output from his later career.
Overview
Created in 1500 by Florentine artist Cosimo Rosselli, this tempera painting presents a devotional scene typical of the early Renaissance. It is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection and illustrates a moment of reverence surrounding the infant Christ.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Cosimo Rosselli (Italian:; 1439–1507) was an Italian painter of the Quattrocento, active mainly in his birthplace of Florence, but also in Pisa earlier in his career and in 1481–82 in the Sistine Chapel in Rome, where…
