CUADRO XII

BOSCH, The Adoration of the Magi (ca. 1494)

   

BOSCH, The Adoration of the Magi (ca. 1494). Detail central panel

The open triptych shows in the central panel, The Adoration of the Magi, and on the side, integrated in the scene, two donor’s figures, a man and a woman, accompanied by their saints, St. Peter and St. Agnes, which can be easily recognized by their corresponding atributes.

The boy is sitting on the Virgin, receiving gifts of the Magi. The Magi represent the three ages of man, and the different races. At that time it was very common to represent the various races of man in the pictures as the descendants of the three sons of Noah.

Highlights the luxurious robes of kings and rich presents of gold, frankincense and myrrh, which contrasts with the poverty of the cottage where the Virgin and Child are located.

In the central panel of Adoration of the Magi appears at the background a big city with fantastic buildings .