Adoration of the Magi (Velázquez)

The Adoration of the Magi passed through various notable collections before being placed in the Museo del Prado. Based on the date on the canvas, scholars believe that Velázquez completed the work in 1619 (one year after he married Juana Pacheco). However, the earliest known record of the painting dates to circa 1764, when it was housed in the Jesuit Novitiate of San Luis, Seville.Carr, D. W., Bray, X., & Velázquez, D. (2006). Velázquez. London: National Gallery. p.136 {{ISBN|9781857093032}} The painting was likely commissioned by the Jesuits, possibly through the influence of Velázquez’s mentor and father-in-law, Francisco Pacheco. When the Jesuits were expelled from Spain by King Charles III, their possessions, including this painting, were dispersed. One account suggests that Francisco de Bruna, a Sevillian collector and a known art patron, acquired the painting around this time. English traveler Richard Twiss reported seeing it in this collection before 1775.{{Cite book |last=Domínguez Ortiz |first=Antonio |title=Velazquez |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |year=1989 |isbn=978-0870995545 |location=New York |pages=60–67}}

By the late 18th century, The Adoration of the Magi had entered the royal collection of Spain. Following Francisco de Bruna’s death in 1804, Luis Meléndez (de Bruna's nephew) gifted the painting to King Ferdinand VII. The work was initially placed in the Monastery of El Escorial and erroneously attributed to Francisco de Zurbarán in Pedro de Madrazo’s Prado catalogue. In 1819, it was transferred to the Museo del Prado in Madrid, where it remains today.

File:Adoration_of_the_Magi.png

At the center of the painting is the Christ Child, wearing a bright expression on his face. His body is wrapped in white fabric, giving him what some critics describe as a mummified appearance. In reality, the infant is simply swaddled, as was common during the time.

The Virgin Mary, wearing a pink dress and a blue mantle, appears behind Christ, steadily holding her child. The spirituality in Mary's appearance is contested among scholars: while Julian Gallego asserts her "devout meditation," Pantorba cannot find in her even "the slightest trace of spirituality," directing attention to her coarse hands. Additionally, some scholars note Mary's reserved facial expression, drawing comparisons between her figure and that of carved statues, such as Martínez Montañés's Inmaculada La Cieguecita.

File:Close-up_of_the_Magi_presenting_their_gifts_to_the_Christ_Child.png

The painting also features three magi, who stand in close proximity to one another. Closest to the viewer is Melchior, who kneels in the foreground. In the back stands Balthazar, distinguished by his red mantle and lace collar. Finally, between these two is Gaspar, nearly hidden from view by Melchior’s body. The three characters are presenting their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Christ. Despite these luxurious presents, the characters appear remarkably plain. In Velázquez’s depiction of the scene, the magi wear ordinary clothes, contrasting the idealized, extravagant costumes of versions produced by other artists. This striking naturalism highlights Velázquez’s attraction to Caravaggism.

Additionally, on the right of the painting, with the majority of his body hidden from view, stands Saint Joseph. And, behind Balthazar, there appears an unidentified young man looking on. Some art historians have identified him as a page of the kings.

Behind these individuals, Velázquez depicts a dark landscape. Rather than setting the scene in a cave (as suggested by Loyola), the artist places his characters in a shadowy natural scene with specks of vegetation in the foreground. On the top left, Velázquez portrays a dimming horizon, thus foreshadowing his future interest in landscapes. Additionally, though it is hard to distinguish, a column appears in the background.

Although the garments of the characters are colorful, scholars describe the painting as monochromatic, "somber and tenebrist." Light emanates from the top left corner of the work, and deep shadows appear in the top right and bottom right. For this reason, Carl Justi praised the Adoration of the Magi as being "distinguished by great power of colouring and chiaroscuro."{{cite book |last=Justi |first=Carl |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JJprDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA53 |title=Velázquez and his Times |date=2016 |publisher=Parkstone International |isbn=978-1780429816 |page=53}} Its dramatic contrast in dark and light, furthermore, underscores its connection to the Baroque movement.

File:Velázquez - Caballero, Francisco Pacheco (Museo del Prado, c. 1622).jpg

The Adoration of the Magi is one of Velázquez's earlier paintings, and it represents his work in the religious sphere. His mentor and father-in-law, Francisco Pacheco, had close ties to the Society of Jesuits and was influential for Velázquez's religious paintings. Aligning with this, art historians Joan Ainard de Lasarte and José Gudiol believe that the work was initially meant to go to the Jesuit Novitiate of San Luis in Seville.

The historian Julian Gallego asserts that Velázquez used his family as live models for this work, demonstrating his inspiration from Caravaggio further. Gallego alleges that Velázquez’s wife, Juana, was the model for the Virgin Mary. Moreover, he believes that Velázquez’s daughter, Francisca, was the model for the Christ Child, Francisco Pacheco was the model for Melchior, and that Velázquez used himself as a model for Gaspar. Finally, he states that either one of Velázquez’s brothers or servants could have modeled for Balthazar. Antonio Domínguez Ortiz believes that while there is no evidence to support this theory, it remains likely that Velázquez used live models for the majority of characters in the painting.

File:Cayetano_palmaroli-adoración_de_los_magos-velázquez.jpg

The original size of The Adoration of the Magi has been the subject of scholarly debate. The present dimensions of the painting are 79^⅝ x 49^¼ inches. Art historian José López Rey suggested that the canvas may have originally been larger, citing a lithograph made in 1832 by Cayetano Palmaroli and published by Elizabeth du Gué Trapier in 1948. This lithograph depicts a wider version of the painting, where the characters on the left and right of the work are not cropped but fully visible. However, López Rey has questioned the reliability of treating this lithograph as evidence. He proposed that Palmaroli may have reconstructed the missing parts based on his interpretation of Velázquez’s sense of composition. López Rey noted the possibility that the present dimension may be original. While some of Velázquez’s works were trimmed (e.g., Prince Baltasar Carlos as a Hunter) or augmented (e.g., The Weavers), the artist's general attraction to compactness may support that the current dimension reflected the artist’s original intent. Additionally, the work is not a palace composition, but an altar painting, which was less likely to be altered or trimmed.

• List of works by Diego Velázquez

• [http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15324coll10/id/63259/rec/2 Velázquez], exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Adoration of the Magi (see index)

{{Diego Velázquez}}{{Museo del Prado}}{{Authority control (arts)|country=ES}}

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Category:1619 paintings

Category:Religious paintings by Diego Velázquez

Category:Seville-period paintings by Diego Velázquez

Category:Paintings by Diego Velázquez in the Museo del Prado

Velázquez

Category:Paintings by Diego Velázquez