The Adoration of the Kings

The Adoration of the Kings, dated 1536 and held in the National Gallery in London, belongs to Dosso Dossi's late period, when the Este court artist was in his final years of activity before his death around 1542. The Adoration of the Magi was one of the most frequently painted subjects in the Italian Renaissance, carrying both religious significance and an opportunity to display the full repertoire of pictorial achievement: exotic costumes, varied physiognomies, complex multi-figure arrangement, and the challenge of depicting the momentous recognition of divinity in vulnerable human form. Dosso's treatment brings his characteristic chromatic brilliance and expressive intensity to the subject, distinguishing his version from the more classically organised compositions of central Italian painters. The National Gallery acquisition makes this one of his most accessible works to international audiences.

The multi-figure composition challenges Dosso to manage a larger pictorial stage than his characteristic intimate formats. His solution is characteristically Ferrarese: vivid colour used to distinguish and organise the various figures, with the chromatic hierarchy guiding the eye toward the central group. The exotic costumes of the Magi provide opportunities for the kind of rich surface description at which Dosso excelled.