Adoration of the Magi
Entry ID
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49 (13/01/2022)
Formal title of the work
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Adoration of the Magi
Description of the sculpture
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Triptych altarpiece depicting the Adoration of the Magi. Carved of oak and painted and gilded, the right wing of the triptych shows Balthasar, depicted here as the African Magus, carrying a gold Ciborium and wearing a sheathed dagger at his side.
URLs where this is recorded/available
Type of object
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Relief panel
Base
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No base
Dimensions
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Height: 23.5 cm
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Width: 29.5 cm
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Depth: ? cm
Materials
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Oak
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Glass
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Paint / pigment
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Lead
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Papier-mâché
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Metal (unidentified)
Specific techniques used
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Carving
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Gilding
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Patination
Overall colour
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Polychrome
Does the Black person have a specific identity?
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Identifiable: person from Bible/Christian saint
Identity of Black person (real or fictive)
Attributes
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Golden vessel
Role within sculpture
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Key subsidiary role
Gender
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Male
Age
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Adolescent
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Adult
Status
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Royal
Clothing
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Wearing clothes – ‘exotic’ clothing
Evidence of enslavement
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None
Evidence of 'exotic' status
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Earrings (often a single pearl)
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‘Exotic’ costume/dress
Action or activity
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Standing
Emotional state
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Neutral/emotionless
Focus of gaze of Black person
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Indeterminate
Sculptural context
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Domestic: Biblical/mythological
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Rural: Biblical/mythological
Place of production
Period of production
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Sixteenth century (1500-1599)
Date of Production
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c. 1500
Date inferred from
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Inferred from stylistic features
Original purpose
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Devotional
Original display setting
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Sacred: home
Current owner
Current / most recently known location
Accession number
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3264-1856
Provenance history
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1856: acquired by the South Kensington Museum (now named the Victoria and Albert Museum)
Notes
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This a portable, mass-produced altarpiece that would have been used for private, domestic use and likely sold to a professional, merchant-class clientele.
Current rights holder
License terms for reuse
‘Adoration of the Magi’ (no date), Black People in European Sculpture, accessed May 5, 2025, http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/443
