Adoration of the Magi

Stefano da Verona's Adoration of the Magi, painted around 1434 and now in the Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan, is a sumptuous example of the International Gothic style in northern Italy. The Epiphany subject offered ideal opportunity for the courtly splendor and exotic pageantry that characterized this style. Stefano, the leading painter in Verona, created a richly decorative composition filled with lavish costumes, horses, and attendants.

Stefano's technique features the sinuous linear elegance and brilliant color of the International Gothic, with abundant gold leaf, intricate costume details, and the calligraphic line quality that defines the style.