L'Adoration des rois mages
Paolo Veronese·1550
Historical Context
The Adoration of the Magi (c. 1550), in the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon, is an early work from Veronese's Verona period, before his establishment in Venice. The Epiphany subject — with its procession of richly dressed kings bearing exotic gifts — was ideal for displaying the young artist's facility with sumptuous costume, varied physiognomy, and architectural setting. While not yet possessing the monumental scale of his later Venetian feast paintings, this early Adoration already reveals Veronese's instinct for theatrical staging and chromatic brilliance. The painting's presence in Lyon reflects the rich holdings of Italian art in French provincial museums, many acquired through Napoleonic confiscations and subsequent purchases.
Technical Analysis
The composition is organized as a magnificent procession moving from right to left toward the central group of the Virgin and Child. The Magi's costumes provide a symphony of color — gold, crimson, and emerald green — deployed with Veronese's unerring sense of chromatic harmony.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the Magi's costumes providing a symphony of color — gold, crimson, and emerald green — deployed with Veronese's unerring chromatic harmony.
- ◆Look at the magnificent procession moving from right to left toward the Virgin and Child in this early work from Veronese's Verona period.
- ◆Observe the theatrical staging and chromatic brilliance already revealing the young artist's instincts before achieving the monumental scale of his later Venetian feast paintings.
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