Artwork
Adoration of the Magi
Adoration of the Magi is an oil painting by Teodor Baltazar Stachowicz. It dates from 1846 and is held in the collection of the National Museum in Kraków.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work serves as a visual representation of this specific gospel account, focusing on the interaction between the holy family and the three kings.
Teodor Baltazar Stachowicz's oil painting illustrates the biblical episode of the Adoration of the Magi, a central theme in religious art. The composition features the Christ Child and the Virgin Mary receiving visitors identified as the Biblical Magi: Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar. These figures are depicted in the act of presenting gifts, a narrative moment symbolizing the recognition of Jesus's divinity by the Gentile world.
The work serves as a visual representation of this specific gospel account, focusing on the interaction between the holy family and the three kings.
Technique & Style
The Adoration of the Magi is an oil painting executed on canvas, measuring 66 cm in height and 87.5 cm in width. It depicts the Virgin Mary with the infant Christ Child, surrounded by the three Magi, Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, offering symbolic gifts. Rendered in a religious genre, the composition emphasizes intimate devotional focus on the sacred moment.
The work is housed in the National Museum in Kraków and is attributed to Teodor Baltazar Stachowicz, reflecting a conventional approach to narrative clarity and devotional realism characteristic of ecclesiastical painting.
History & Provenance
The Adoration of the Magi is held by the National Museum in Kraków as part of its holdings of nineteenth-century Polish religious painting. The work, painted by Teodor Baltazar Stachowicz in 1846, is recorded in the museum's catalogue, though the available sources do not provide a specific inventory number or a documented exhibition history.
Overview
Teodor Baltazar Stachowicz’s oil on canvas, dated around 1846, presents a crowded tableau of the biblical Adoration of the Magi. The central figure is a woman in a red cloak, cradling an infant, surrounded by three regal visitors, Balthazar, Melchior and Caspar, who kneel, stand, or gesture with flags and books. The scene unfolds beneath a cloudy sky and arched architecture, merging interior and exterior space.
Context
Stachowicz’s work belongs to a broader 19th‑century tradition of depicting the Adoration, a subject that allowed artists to explore opulent costume, exoticism, and theological themes. The inclusion of armor and flags aligns with contemporary interests in historicism and the romanticized portrayal of biblical episodes as grand, ceremonial events.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Teodor Baltazar Stachowicz (1800–1873) was an artist, born in Kraków.
