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The Adoration of the Three Kings
(Baroque Europe )
Engraved ivory plaques were incorporated into luxurious small cabinets or chests, but independently conceived plaques set into frames were also valued as self-contained works of art. In this rendering ofthe "wisemen" from the East who came to adore the Christ Child, all three wear crowns and thus are kings rahter than wisemen or magi.
The style of this minutely detailed scene appears to be that of the Flemish engraver and draughtsman Johann Wierix. No engravings on ivory by him are known, but, in addition to prints on paper, he made delicate engravings on silver. During the 1590s, Wierix worked for the Habsburg court in Brussels and subsequently for the Jesuits in Antwerp.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1971-1972 | World of Wonder. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Belgium, Brussels
(Place of Origin)
Belgium, Antwerp (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 3 3/4 × W: 5 7/8 × D: 9/16 in. (9.5 × 15 × 1.5 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
71.332