Adoration of the Magi
Entry ID
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52 (14/01/2022)
Formal title of the work
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Adoration of the Magi
Description of the sculpture
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This medallion relief carved from elephant ivory depicts the Adoration of the Magi and was likely used as an individual devotional scene but could have also been included in a larger altarpiece. On the far right, Balthasar, depicted here as the African Magus, wears a turban with an integrated coronet and carries a monstrance-like vessel.
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: 6 cm
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Width: 6 cm
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Depth: ? cm
Materials
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Ivory
Specific techniques used
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Carving
Overall colour
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Monochrome – white
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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Crown
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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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Adult
Status
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Royal
Clothing
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Wearing clothes – European/Western 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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‘Exotic’ costume/dress
Action or activity
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Standing
Emotional state
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Indeterminate
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Neutral/emotionless
Focus of gaze of Black person
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Unfocussed/blank eyeballs
Sculptural context
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Domestic: Biblical/mythological
Place of production
Period of production
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Fifteenth century (1400-1499)
Date of Production
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c. 1460 - 1480
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
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Sacred: other
Current owner
Current / most recently known location
Accession number
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A.41-1923
Provenance history
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1923: given to the Victoria and Albert Museum by Mrs A.W. Hearn
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1913 – 1923: owned by Mr Alfred Williams Hearn
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18 November 1913: (likely) bought by Mr Alfred Williams Hearn at the Fitzhenry sale, Christie’s, Manson & Woods, London, (lot 36); although not illustrated in the sale catalogue, the dimensions match exactly.
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? – 18 November 1913: owned by J.H. Fitzhenry (1836-1913)
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/456
