Adoration of the magi

The Master of Saint Severin was a major Cologne painter active around 1480-1515 who takes his name from altarpieces in the Church of Saint Severin. This Adoration of the Magi in the Wallraf-Richartz Museum reflects the vibrant devotional art production of Cologne, the largest and most prosperous city in the late-medieval Rhineland. The oil medium allowed for rich tonal transitions and glazed layers of color that created luminous depth impossible with the older tempera technique. Such devotional panels served both liturgical contexts in churches and chapels and private devotional use in the homes of wealthy families who maintained personal altars and oratories.

The panel features the rich, warm coloring and detailed costume rendering typical of the Cologne school, with careful attention to the exotic textiles and accessories of the Magi that made Epiphany scenes vehicles for displays of artistic virtuosity.