Anbetung der Könige

The Meister des Rottweiler Hochaltars's Anbetung der Könige (Adoration of the Kings), painted around 1440 and now in the Collection Hirscher, presents the Epiphany scene — the Three Wise Men from the East presenting gifts to the infant Christ at Bethlehem — in the Swabian late Gothic manner that characterizes this master's work. The Adoration of the Magi was one of the most beloved subjects in the entire Christian tradition, and its production in every regional style and artistic center makes it an ideal subject for comparative study of pictorial conventions across time and place.

Tempera on panel. The Adoration composition places the Virgin and Child at center-right with the three kings approaching from the left, the eldest Caspar kneeling to present his gift. The stable setting frames the sacred encounter.