Adoration of the Magi

Southern Germany or Austria

ca. 1235–50 · Tempera and gold and silver leaf on parchment · Robert Lehman Collection

This leaf was detached from a psalter (now in the Universitätsbibliothek, Innsbruck, Austria). Psalters contain the Book of Psalms, often supplemented with other devotional material. As is the case with many manuscript illuminations of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the artist’s name is not preserved. His style is characterized by a preference for red, blue, and green and by a delicate use of red paint to create shadow on the faces, necks, and hands. Here, the Virgin and child are seated upon a throne as the magi approach.

Artist: Southern Germany or Austria
Date: ca. 1235–50
Medium: Tempera and gold and silver leaf on parchment
Culture: Southern German or Austrian
Department: Robert Lehman Collection
Credit line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975

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