![Adoration of the Magi with Saint Anthony Abbot, detail Virgin Mary with child [1390-1410] | by petrus.agricola](http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55032556362_2cf9a99644.jpg)
Adoration of the Magi with Saint Anthony Abbot, detail Virgin Mary with child [1390-1410]
Franco Flemish Master -
Adoration of the Magi with Saint Anthony Abbot, detail Virgin Mary with child [1390-1410]
LA Getty Center - GAP wm
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Against an intensely red background strewn with golden star motifs, the scene of the Epiphany unfolds in a composition that is strictly frontal yet richly articulated. The painting combines the central New Testament theme of the Adoration of the newborn Christ by the three Magi from the East with the unusual, though iconographically meaningful, inclusion of Saint Anthony Abbot.
At the centre of the composition sits the Virgin Mary, holding the Christ Child on her lap, while Joseph appears slightly recessed behind her. The Child is not depicted as a passive recipient of veneration, but as a lively, active figure: with both hands he reaches out for the gold coins that are being offered to him. This seemingly playful gesture may also be interpreted as a conscious acceptance of his royal dignity, while at the same time emphasising his active role within the economy of salvation.
The eldest of the three kings, Caspar, kneels in reverent devotion before the Child; the crown laid aside beside him signifies the submission of worldly authority to divine sovereignty.
On the left-hand side of the panel, prominently set apart from the main group, appears Saint Anthony Abbot. His presence does not constitute a merely narrative addition, but rather points to the specific institutional and social context in which the painting was produced. Anthony is depicted as a bearded old man wearing monastic habit and bearing those attributes that crystallised in the High and Late Middle Ages: the abbatial staff with a Tau-shaped handle as a sign of his office, a bell, and a pig.
The pig is not part of the early Christian tradition surrounding Saint Anthony, but derives instead from the activities of the Order of the Antonines, which from the late eleventh century onwards specialised in the care of patients suffering from so-called St Anthony’s Fire. This condition most commonly referred to forms of ergotism, caused by the consumption of rye contaminated with ergot fungus. The medical practices developed by the Antonines – in particular dietary changes and the application of ointments – led to tangible cures and account for the saint’s extraordinary popularity in the later Middle Ages. The keeping of pigs was a special privilege of the order; these animals, marked by a bell around the neck, were allowed to roam freely. On the symbolic level, pigs have long stood for sensuality and lust; their popular interpretation as agents of temptation reflects the late medieval association of sin, diabolical temptation and illness.
The combination of an Epiphany scene with the veneration of Saint Anthony suggests that the painting was originally intended for an ecclesiastical or hospital setting, possibly in connection with a hospital run by the Antonines. In this context, the image of the healing Christ Child acquires an additional layer of meaning: the adoration of the Redeemer is linked to the concrete hope for bodily healing and divine assistance.
Stylistically, the work belongs to the International Gothic style, which dominated European courtly art around 1400. Characteristic features include the sumptuous garments of the kings trimmed with fur, the decorative flatness of the background, and an elegant, graphically accentuated line that goes hand in hand with a heightened interest in the differentiation of fabrics and figures. The fusion of courtly splendour with religious symbolism corresponds to the representational aspirations of a cultivated and affluent patron in late medieval Burgundy.
Text: Getty, openAI and I
Adoration of the Magi with Saint Anthony Abbot, detail Virgin Mary with child [1390-1410]
Franco Flemish Master -
Adoration of the Magi with Saint Anthony Abbot, detail Virgin Mary with child [1390-1410]
LA Getty Center - GAP wm
******************************************************************************
Against an intensely red background strewn with golden star motifs, the scene of the Epiphany unfolds in a composition that is strictly frontal yet richly articulated. The painting combines the central New Testament theme of the Adoration of the newborn Christ by the three Magi from the East with the unusual, though iconographically meaningful, inclusion of Saint Anthony Abbot.
At the centre of the composition sits the Virgin Mary, holding the Christ Child on her lap, while Joseph appears slightly recessed behind her. The Child is not depicted as a passive recipient of veneration, but as a lively, active figure: with both hands he reaches out for the gold coins that are being offered to him. This seemingly playful gesture may also be interpreted as a conscious acceptance of his royal dignity, while at the same time emphasising his active role within the economy of salvation.
The eldest of the three kings, Caspar, kneels in reverent devotion before the Child; the crown laid aside beside him signifies the submission of worldly authority to divine sovereignty.
On the left-hand side of the panel, prominently set apart from the main group, appears Saint Anthony Abbot. His presence does not constitute a merely narrative addition, but rather points to the specific institutional and social context in which the painting was produced. Anthony is depicted as a bearded old man wearing monastic habit and bearing those attributes that crystallised in the High and Late Middle Ages: the abbatial staff with a Tau-shaped handle as a sign of his office, a bell, and a pig.
The pig is not part of the early Christian tradition surrounding Saint Anthony, but derives instead from the activities of the Order of the Antonines, which from the late eleventh century onwards specialised in the care of patients suffering from so-called St Anthony’s Fire. This condition most commonly referred to forms of ergotism, caused by the consumption of rye contaminated with ergot fungus. The medical practices developed by the Antonines – in particular dietary changes and the application of ointments – led to tangible cures and account for the saint’s extraordinary popularity in the later Middle Ages. The keeping of pigs was a special privilege of the order; these animals, marked by a bell around the neck, were allowed to roam freely. On the symbolic level, pigs have long stood for sensuality and lust; their popular interpretation as agents of temptation reflects the late medieval association of sin, diabolical temptation and illness.
The combination of an Epiphany scene with the veneration of Saint Anthony suggests that the painting was originally intended for an ecclesiastical or hospital setting, possibly in connection with a hospital run by the Antonines. In this context, the image of the healing Christ Child acquires an additional layer of meaning: the adoration of the Redeemer is linked to the concrete hope for bodily healing and divine assistance.
Stylistically, the work belongs to the International Gothic style, which dominated European courtly art around 1400. Characteristic features include the sumptuous garments of the kings trimmed with fur, the decorative flatness of the background, and an elegant, graphically accentuated line that goes hand in hand with a heightened interest in the differentiation of fabrics and figures. The fusion of courtly splendour with religious symbolism corresponds to the representational aspirations of a cultivated and affluent patron in late medieval Burgundy.
Text: Getty, openAI and I