Adoration of the Kings

Puccio di Simone was a Florentine painter active in the mid-fourteenth century who worked in the tradition of Bernardo Daddi and the Giottesque school. This Adoration of the Kings depicts the Epiphany, one of the most frequently represented subjects in Gothic art, celebrating the recognition of Christ's divinity by the Gentile world. The elaborate gifts and exotic costumes of the Magi provided artists with opportunities for rich decorative display within a devotional framework.

Painted in egg tempera on gold-ground panel, the composition arranges the three kings in a processional format approaching the enthroned Virgin and Child. Puccio's style reflects the miniaturist refinement of Bernardo Daddi's workshop, with delicate facial types and carefully rendered textile patterns.