Artwork
The Adoration of the Kings
The Adoration of the Kings is an oil painting. It dates from 1490 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
5 cm and was painted by Hans Memling for the Statens Museum for Kunst collection.
The Adoration of the Kings portrays the biblical scene of the Magi presenting gifts to the infant Christ, his mother Mary, and the surrounding symbols of a dog, cattle and a horse. In Early Netherlandish style the composition emphasizes the sacred moment of Epiphany, with the animal figures serving as attributes that allude to fidelity, wealth and the journey of the wise men. Executed in oil on panel around 1480, the work measures 31.5 cm by 22.5 cm and was painted by Hans Memling for the Statens Museum for Kunst collection.
Technique & Style
The Adoration of the Kings is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel, a support characteristic of Early Netherlandish practice. The composition is rendered on a modest scale, measuring 31.5 cm in height by 22.5 cm in width.
Stylistically, the work belongs to the Early Netherlandish painting movement, as recorded in its cataloguing. The subject matter is the adoration of the Magi, with the scene populated by the Christ Child, Mary, a dog, cattle, and a horse, suggesting a densely inhabited landscape typical of devotional panels of the period.
History & Provenance
The Adoration of the Kings was executed circa 1480 in oil on panel, measuring 31.5 cm by 22.5 cm. The subject depicts the Magi presenting gifts to the infant Christ, accompanied by figures such as a dog, Mary, a cattle, and a horse. Stylistically it belongs to the Early Netherlandish movement and falls within the religious genre. The work was created as a devotional image, though the original patron remains unidentified.
Since the early 20th century it has been part of the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst, having previously been associated with the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek.
The Adoration of the Kings is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, as recorded in the work's structured data. The same record associates the painting with the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek as part of its collection listing, while identifying the Statens Museum for Kunst as its location. The panel, dated 1480 and measuring 31.5 by 22.5 cm, is catalogued as an oil-on-panel work within these Danish holdings.
No exhibition history is documented in the available sources.
Overview
This oil painting, titled The Adoration of the Kings, depicts a nocturnal scene centered around the Nativity. A woman kneels beside an infant in a manger, while her companion observes from a distance. In the background, a procession of figures on horseback approaches a distant structure under a star-filled sky. The artwork employs a subdued palette, creating a quiet and contemplative atmosphere around the central event.
Artist & collection
