The Adoration of the Magi. From: The life of the Virgin.

The German artist Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) is well represented in our works on paper collection. His woodcuts are technical triumphs and are superbly lucid in their storytelling. They enhanced people’s appreciation of art and deepened their faith in doing so. They also helped make Dürer wealthy and internationally famous. Capitalising on the recent revolution in print technology, he published 20 woodcuts comprising <em>The</em> <em>Life of the Virgin</em> in book form (1511). One such episode is the<em> Adoration of the Magi</em>, depicting King Herod’s astrologers who, upon entering the house of the Holy Family, ‘saw the child with Mary his mother, and bowed to the ground in homage to him; then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh’ (Matthew 2:11-12). The architectural fantasy setting shows Dürer’s obsession with perspective, texture and motifs. He would surely be designing sets for the Weta Workshop were he practising today. Although this is a solemn scene, it is human and humorous. The middle magus tangles his arms in excitement, offering his gift with his right hand, while encouraging his companion with his left. With one exception, nobody seems to notice the miraculous star that had guided the Magi to the Christ Child: the donkey, immediately behind Joseph, devoutly raises its head heavenwards.

Sourced from: http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2014/12/12/christmas-treasures-from-te-papa/

Dr Mark Stocker   Curator, Historical International Art     December 2016