The Adoration of the Magi

The Adoration of the Magi is the central predella panel of Masaccio's Pisa Altarpiece of 1426, depicting the three kings presenting gifts to the Christ Child. The predella, now in the Gemaldegalerie in Berlin, is one of the key surviving fragments of this dispersed polyptych. Masaccio transforms the traditional Adoration scene through his revolutionary treatment of space, light, and human presence, creating a composition that looks forward to the spatial innovations of the later fifteenth century. The inclusion of contemporary portraits among the retinue was a Florentine convention that Masaccio continued.

The composition creates a convincing illusion of depth through the recession of the retinue into the background and the careful spatial placement of the principal figures. The naturalistic lighting casts consistent shadows that reinforce the three-dimensionality of forms, while the simplified, monumental drapery gives the figures gravity and physical presence. The small scale of the predella format does not diminish Masaccio's revolutionary spatial ambitions.