Heinrich Vogtherr, alias Heinricus Satrapitanus, alias “The Master H.S with the Cross” (attributed to), Adoration of the Magi, 1518, oil on wood panel painted on both sides, 110 x 82 cm

This painting depicts an Adoration of the Magi. It bears various inscriptions in the lower left corner, including the date 1518.

The context is 16th-century Europe, both in terms of the costumes and the architectural elements that form the backdrop for this frequently depicted New Testament episode.

On the left, two women stand behind the crowned Virgin Mary, who is presenting the Infant Jesus to the three Magi depicted on the right. In the background, a sort of plain unfolds with figures, followed by a religious building that strangely combines different styles or elements, including two bulbous domes. A strange portico on the right appears covered in weeds, as if to make it look like a ruined building. The monofocal perspective effect is very clumsy, and it appears as if the entire left side of the building has been truncated.

In the foreground, a landscape with some steep mountains unfolds. On one of them stands a probable temple. Finally, above the pink-toned sky on the horizon, a divine register unfolds, in which God the Father and the Son make a gesture of blessing towards the scene of the Adoration of the Magi. To the left of the celestial part framed by clouds, small cherubs carry a cartouche containing an inscription in Hebrew.

This painting was subject to a scientific examination in a French laboratory in December 2024, which attests to the authenticity of the work: “The nature of the different pigments and fillers identified in the pictorial layers are compatible with the presumed attribution of this painting. (…) These coloring materials were known and used at the beginning of the 16th century. We have not identified any modern pigments or fillers.” We make this scientific report available to the future buyer.

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