Adoration of the Magi (1450–64, printed in the 18th century): Artwork and History

Adoration of the Magi (1450–64, printed in the 18th century) is in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. The museum lists its creator attribution as Unknown Artist, possibly Florentine.

The work and its context

The Art Institute of Chicago describes the work:

Niello work, an ancestor of engraving, originated in the workshops of goldsmiths and armorers. Designs were often engraved on silver and then dusted with niello, a powdered metallic alloy. When heated, the enamel-like amalgam fused into the engraved lines. The surface of the metal was then polished, highlighting the black design. An artist could proof his work by rubbing ink into the lines and printing the design on dampened paper. This work was once attributed to the goldsmith Maso Finiguerra (1426-1464), the most famous niellist of his day. It is now thought to be an 18th­ century production based on earlier Florentine models, but it nonetheless conveys the jewel-like quality of Finiguerra' s art.

Object facts

• Title: Adoration of the Magi
• Date: 1450–64, printed in the 18th century
• Artist attribution: Unknown Artist, possibly Florentine
• Place of origin: Italy
• Medium: Engraving on paper
• Dimensions: Sheet: 11.5 × 10.4 cm (4 9/16 × 4 1/8 in.)
• Type: Print
• Department: Prints and Drawings
• Reference number: 1956.992

Collection credit

Bequest of Mrs. Potter Palmer, Jr.

View the original

Explore the artwork in the Art Institute's collection, including its image and the museum's current catalogue details.

The description above is credited to the Art Institute of Chicago and reused under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0; HTML formatting has been converted to plain text. Other catalogue metadata and the public-domain image are provided under CC0 1.0.