Triptych of the Adoration of the Christ Child; Adoration of the Magi; Presentation in the Temple

The central section of this retable consists of a scene of the Adoration of the Shepherds, carved in wood and polychromed. Mary, seen in profile, is kneeling beside the Christ Child, who is lying on the ground on the train of her robe. Opposite her stands a figure with his hat in his hand, who may represent Joseph. But the person could also be a shepherd like the figure on the left. In the architecture, which symbolises the ruins of the palace of King David, are an ass and an ox, and an angel playing a trumpet. Two small, kneeling figures are depicted just behind the Christ Child. In the background right, we see the Proclamation to the shepherds. The scenes are crowned with ‘metselrijen’, decorative architectural details. The wings are painted with a scene of the Visitation of Mary (left), who is paying a call on her cousin Elizabeth (right). On the reverse of the wings, which cannot be seen at the moment, is a depiction of the Annunciation. On the basis of style, the painted wings are attributed to the anonymous Master of 1518, named after the year of one of his works.