The Adoration of the Magi

The Adoration of the Magi is ascribed to an anonymous master working in Antwerp in the early sixteenth century. His makeshift name, Pseudo-Blesius, comes from Henricus Blesius, with whom he was initially confused. The artist places the scene in a rugged landscape with a ruin in the foreground. A small circular relief above a window in the ruin portrays King…

The Adoration of the Magi is ascribed to an anonymous master working in Antwerp in the early sixteenth century. His makeshift name, Pseudo-Blesius, comes from Henricus Blesius, with whom he was initially confused. The artist places the scene in a rugged landscape with a ruin in the foreground. A small circular relief above a window in the ruin portrays King David with his harp. As the ancestor of Jesus he represents the Old Testament, a period which came to an end with the birth of Christ. The ruin on which the new church is built represents the New Testament. The highly elongated figures and elaborate detail in the clothing, architecture and landscape are typical of Antwerp Mannerism. This late-gothic style was widespread in the Netherlands, Germany and northern France early in the sixteenth century. The work of two Dutch masters in this room, Cornelis Engebrechtsz. Van Leyden and Jacob Cornelisz. Van Oostzanen, is also closely linked to Antwerp Mannerism.