id: 122223
accession number: 1942.536
share license status: CC0
url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1942.536
updated:
The Adoration of the Magi, 1440–45. Giovanni di Paolo (Italian, c. 1403–1482). Tempera and gold on wood panel; framed: 52.5 x 59 x 7.5 cm (20 11/16 x 23 1/4 x 2 15/16 in.); unframed: 38.4 x 44.3 cm (15 1/8 x 17 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Delia E. Holden and L. E. Holden Funds 1942.536
title: The Adoration of the Magi
title in original language:
series:
series in original language:
creation date: 1440–45
creation date earliest: 1440
creation date latest: 1445
current location: 117A Italian Renaissance
creditline: Delia E. Holden and L. E. Holden Funds
copyright:
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culture: Italy, Siena, 15th century
technique: tempera and gold on wood panel
department: Medieval Art
collection: MED - Medieval Art
type: Painting
find spot:
catalogue raisonne:
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CREATORS
* Giovanni di Paolo (Italian, c. 1403–1482) - artist
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measurements: Framed: 52.5 x 59 x 7.5 cm (20 11/16 x 23 1/4 x 2 15/16 in.); Unframed: 38.4 x 44.3 cm (15 1/8 x 17 7/16 in.)
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inscriptions:
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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
title: Paths of Abstract Art
opening date: 1960-10-04T04:00:00
Paths of Abstract Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art (October 4-November 13, 1960).
title: Gothic Art 1360-1440
opening date: 1963-08-06T04:00:00
Gothic Art 1360-1440. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 6-September 15, 1963).
title: Juxtapositions
opening date: 1965-09-11T04:00:00
Juxtapositions. The Cleveland Museum of Art (September 11-October 10, 1965).
title: Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art
opening date: 2007-05-10T00:00:00
Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. National Museum of Bavaria, Munich, Germany (May 10-September 16, 2007); J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA (October 30, 2007-January 20, 2008); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (February 13-June 7, 2009).
title: Da Jacopo Della Quercia a Donatello. Le Arti a Siena nel Primo Rinascimento
opening date: 2010-03-26T00:00:00
Da Jacopo Della Quercia a Donatello. Le Arti a Siena nel Primo Rinascimento. Complesso Museale Santa Maria della Scala, Siena, Italy (March 26-July 11, 2010).
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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS
* Bavarian Nationalmuseum, Munich (5/10/2007 - 9/16/2007), the J. Paul Getty Musuem, Los Angeles (10/30/2007 - 1/20/2008) and Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN (2/13/2009 - 6/7/2009): "Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art"
Santa Maria della Scala, Siena (3/26/2010 - 7/11/2010): "The Early Renaissance in Siena", ex. cat. no. C.14, p. 214-215.
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PROVENANCE
Alice Hofman, Baltimore. (Seligmann & Rey, New York).
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According to the Gospel of Matthew, three Magi, guided by a star, found the newborn Christ and laid gifts before him. Artists throughout the 15th century elaborated considerably upon this biblical account, devoting particular attention to the Magi’s entourage, which gave them an opportunity to depict the splendor of contemporary aristocratic life. Here, the Magi solemnly honor the divine child in the Virgin’s arms, while their bustling retinue of courtiers and animals provides an exuberant visual diversion. Di Paolo was one of the leading painters in 15th-century Siena, noted both for his manuscript illuminations and painted panels supplied to the city’s churches.
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RELATED WORKS
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CITATIONS
Paintings in the Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland]: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1945.
page number: Reproduced: p. 48
url: https://archive.org/details/CMAPaintings1945/page/n56
The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.
page number: Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 393
url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1958/page/n73
Cleveland Museum of Art, Edward B. Henning. Paths of Abstract Art. Cleveland, Ohio: H.N. Abrams, 1960.
page number: Reproduced: no. 4, p.6; mentioned: pp. 6, 20
url:
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
page number: Reproduced: p. 59
url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1966/page/n83
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
page number: Reproduced: p. 59
url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1969/page/n83
Cleveland Museum of Art. Catalogue of Paintings. Pt. 1. European Paintings before 1500. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1974.
page number: Reproduced: fig. 37, p. 102 - 104
url:
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page number: Reproduced: p. 67
url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978/page/n87
Cleveland Museum of Art, and Holger A. Klein. Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007.
page number: Mentioned and reproduced: P. 262-263, no. 98
url:
Boskovits, Miklós. Maestri senesi e toscani nel Lindenau-Museum di Altenburg. [Siena, Italy]: Protagon, 2008.
page number: Mentioned: p. 154, 240, 242
url:
Zappasodi, Emanuele. Sorores reclusae: spazi di clausura e immagini dipinte in Umbria fra XIII e XIV secolo. Firenze: Mandragor, 2018.
page number: Mentioned: p. 96, note 141
url:
Heisterberg, Marion. Zwischen exemplum und opus absolutum: Studien zum Abzeichnen im italienischen Tre- und Quattrocento zwischen Mustertransfer und Kopie. 2020.
page number: Reproduced and mentioned; pp. 309-310, fig. 164
url:
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IMAGES
web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1942.536/1942.536_web.jpg
print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1942.536/1942.536_print.jpg
full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1942.536/1942.536_full.tif