118:, it is a common convention to represent the third king as a black figure. In Dürer's composition, this figure dominates the right portion of the painting, counterbalancing the cluster of the other four figures on the left (organised in a pyramid structure) due to his difference. This is a key feature in the painting, as the viewer's ocular curiosity is drawn to the third king, which leads the eye around the image through his gaze. His difference is articulated in spatial terms as he appears on the outside, surrounded by nature rather than the architectural features that sit behind the other figures.
22:
67:. It is considered one of Dürer's best and most important works from the period between his first and second trips to Italy (1494-5 and 1505). The work is modest in size, just over a metre wide, however it is of great importance in Dürer's oeuvre and in the history of art. Before the production of this work, Dürer's achievements lay largely in his printmaking career, or with his self-portraiture. This work is especially crucial in its distinction of Dürer's difference as he combines a fine balance of
808:
475:
197:. Due to his geographical location, and skill in other mediums, Dürer's reception as a painter is falsely assumed as being of inferior quality as opposed to his prints and drawings. Nevertheless, the painting is of high quality and is extremely detailed. It presents a fine stylistic balance, a consequence of Dürer's years spent travelling, as well as his various studies as a
182:(1504), Dürer incorporates stylistic elements from his construction of the figure of Adam in the second and third Magi. In his production of the black King, Dürer has organised the figure in contrapposto, with a particular refinement of the anatomy of his legs, as well as the position of his feet. The second Magus borrows Adam's downward gaze and idealised normative profile.
186:
avoid defining structure in the composition in a permanent way, allowing nature to also organise the vastness of the pictorial space. Dürer's wide-ranging skills are also displayed in the composition in the finer details, including the animals found within the stables, as well as the plants that are scattered about the lower and upper portions of the image.
185:
A key part of the composition is its spatial and structural formation, which is precisely detailed through the use of perspective. Architectural archways are formed throughout the background, including some that are broken, and some that are only partly visible to the viewer's eye. This works to
125:
is recognisable, matched with his beard and long golden hair. This is a crucial difference in
Albrecht Dürer's construction of the work. His self-characterization is further substantiated by the alignment of the second king and the artists' famous monogram, which appears on a block in the
156:
and colour. Pure reds, green, and blue can be found in composition, as well as bright golden features illuminating the wealth and exoticism of the objects within the pictorial space. This places an emphasis on the exotic elements that allude to the
126:
foreground. Even so, there is nothing unusual in forming one of the Magi from a portrait of a real individual. This is a tradition that feigns a sense of diplomacy and dynastic ceremony and occurred in images of the
342:, Cambridge, Mass. : Belknap Press of Harvard University Press : In collaboration with the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research ; : Menil Collection 2010. P. 90-92.
404:, Cambridge, Mass. : Belknap Press of Harvard University Press: In collaboration with the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research ; : Menil Collection 2010.
130:
before the convention of the inclusion of a black figure. This highlights Dürer's construction of the composition using both traditional and imagined stylistic details.
1051:
1222:
235:
Throughout his career, Dürer produced two works directly related to this painting, at least in its subject. There is a study of an
African man from 1508,
1206:
479:
1338:
167:
often functioned as reminders of the mythic insignia of the collecting enterprise itself and stood on top of the household treasury cupboard or
724:
619:
529:
121:
In Dürer's imagining of the piece, he also features himself as the second king. Dürer is well known for his self-portraits, and so his
75:
conventions in the work. Heinrich Wölfflin referred to the work as “the first completely lucid painting in the history of German art”.
560:
937:
1035:
763:
643:
1323:
980:
576:
636:
591:
553:
256:
381:
171:. A notable example of such detail in the composition include the foreign servant of the black Magus, who appears wearing a
974:
1099:
568:
175:. This exoticism is also reflected in the detailed garb of the kings, and the jewels and ornaments that surround them.
676:
987:
779:
716:
433:
Panofsky, Erwin. The Life and Art of
Albrecht Dürer. 4th ed. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1955.
1011:
438:
367:
60:
1333:
995:
732:
56:
953:
945:
500:
1295:
755:
79:
522:
929:
458:
409:
347:
1131:
708:
389:
1067:
787:
684:
1247:
1083:
107:
1268:
424:. Edited by Larry Silver and Jeffrey Chipps Smith. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010.
692:
515:
1198:
198:
1123:
1107:
910:
795:
740:
1183:
1115:
1059:
489:
1328:
838:
700:
21:
1168:
853:
453:. Translated from the German by Heide and Alastair Grieve. London, Secker & Warburg, 1972.
210:. Two panels, one in Frankfurt and one in Cologne, representing the Story of Job, known as the
158:
1043:
1003:
903:
1343:
668:
141:
68:
276:
8:
1160:
883:
145:
72:
204:
Some art historians suggest that this painting could have been the central panel of the
823:
494:
149:
83:
891:
868:
771:
454:
434:
405:
363:
343:
212:
206:
194:
1302:
538:
140:, Dürer constructs the composition with a fusion of stylistic inclusivity combining
52:
1214:
1019:
243:. This is believed to be a preliminary study for the later 1524 reimagining of the
153:
378:
1027:
385:
1278:
605:
599:
221:
102:
48:
1263:
1317:
1075:
807:
1273:
1091:
122:
94:
1152:
190:
64:
338:
Koerner, Joseph Leo. "The
Epiphany of the Black Magus Circa 1500" in
240:
86:
216:
are of the same measurements and were made at a similar time as the
225:
34:
507:
134:
474:
98:
90:
30:
224:, that these three paintings may have been intended to form a
220:. It has been suggested by various scholars, including
1223:
The Virgin and Child with a Flower on a Grassy Bench
178:
Completed in the same year as his famous engraving,
239:, completed in charcoal and currently held by the
1315:
1207:Portrait of the Artist's Mother at the Age of 63
296:
193:oeuvre has not been as widely criticized as his
523:
89:. It remained in the imperial collection in
414:
1052:Joachim and Anne Meeting at the Golden Gate
163:that have inspired the work. Images of the
530:
516:
334:
332:
330:
328:
55:(1471-1528), produced under commission by
420:Crawford Luber, Katherine. "Painting" in
326:
324:
322:
320:
318:
316:
314:
312:
310:
308:
938:Portrait of the Artist Holding a Thistle
283:. Munich: F Bruckmann. pp. 154–155.
275:
82:presented the painting as a gift to the
20:
427:
400:Bindman, David, and Henry Louis Gates,
292:
290:
1339:Paintings of the Adoration of the Magi
1316:
637:Hercules Killing the Stymphalian Birds
394:
305:
511:
449:Koschatzky, Walter and Alice Strobl.
402:The Image of the Black in Western Art
340:The Image of the Black in Western Art
287:
569:Portrait of Frederick III of Saxony
561:Portrait Diptych of Dürer's Parents
257:List of paintings by Albrecht Dürer
13:
988:The Holy Family with the Dragonfly
780:Portrait of Hieronymus Holzschuher
685:Portrait of a Young Venetian Woman
537:
362:, Giunti, Florence 2004. P. 346.
29:1504. 99 × 113.5 cm. Oil on wood.
14:
1355:
1269:Albrecht Dürer the Elder (father)
1012:Saint Michael Fighting the Dragon
467:
996:The Holy Family with Three Hares
806:
733:Portrait of Emperor Maximilian I
725:Virgin and Child with Saint Anne
592:Portrait of Dürer's Father at 70
504:in the Uffizi's official catalog
473:
1296:Alte Pinakothek (Self-Portrait)
756:Portrait of Bernhart von Reesen
379:"Darbringung Christi im Tempel"
16:1504 painting by Albrecht Dürer
930:Self-Portrait at the Age of 13
451:Dürerzeichnungen der Albertina
443:
372:
352:
301:. Milan: Rizzoli. p. 112.
297:Costantino Porcu, ed. (2004).
269:
101:, acquired it in exchange for
1:
1227:
1188:
1173:
1036:Saint Sebastian at the Column
896:
873:
858:
843:
828:
745:
709:Martyrdom of the Ten Thousand
650:
626:
610:
581:
390:Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
262:
114:In the European image of the
788:Portrait of Johann Kleberger
577:St. Jerome in the Wilderness
7:
1324:Paintings by Albrecht Dürer
1084:Knight, Death and the Devil
250:
10:
1360:
1279:Anton Koberger (godfather)
108:Presentation in the Temple
1287:
1256:
1240:
1199:Wing of a European Roller
1142:
1100:Saint Jerome in His Study
964:
921:
815:
804:
764:Saint Jerome in His Study
545:
501:The Adoration of the Magi
490:The Adoration of the Magi
481:The Adoration of the Magi
281:Die Kunst Albrecht Dürers
133:Similarly found in later
1124:Large Triumphal Carriage
911:Adoration of the Trinity
796:Portrait of Jakob Muffel
741:Portrait of Jakob Fugger
677:Christ Among the Doctors
1334:Paintings in the Uffizi
839:Seven Sorrows Polyptych
717:The Suicide of Lucretia
1248:Albrecht Dürer's House
1169:Madonna of the Animals
854:Paumgartner Altarpiece
388:in the catalog of the
237:Portrait of an African
97:, the director of the
80:Christian II of Saxony
38:
27:Adoration of the Magi.
661:Adoration of the Magi
645:Lamentation of Christ
621:Lamentation of Christ
606:Lot and His Daughters
245:Adoration of the Magi
218:Adoration of the Magi
116:Adoration of the Magi
59:for the altar of the
44:Adoration of the Magi
24:
1274:Hans Dürer (brother)
669:Bagnacavallo Madonna
485:at Wikimedia Commons
232:as the centrepiece.
1161:Great Piece of Turf
1132:Portrait of Erasmus
954:Self-Portrait at 28
946:Self-Portrait at 26
884:Feast of the Rosary
422:The Essential Dürer
142:northern naturalism
1264:Agnes Dürer (wife)
1068:Life of the Virgin
904:Matthias Grünewald
824:Dresden Altarpiece
495:Web Gallery of Art
384:2015-03-13 at the
277:Wölfflin, Heinrich
173:turban à la Turque
84:Holy Roman Emperor
57:Frederick the Wise
39:
1311:
1310:
1299:(2000 photograph)
892:Heller Altarpiece
869:Jabach Altarpiece
772:The Four Apostles
554:List of paintings
478:Media related to
213:Jabach Altarpiece
207:Jabach Altarpiece
154:ideal proportions
93:until 1792, when
1351:
1232:
1229:
1215:Head of a Walrus
1193:
1190:
1178:
1175:
1020:The Four Witches
975:List of woodcuts
901:
898:
878:
875:
863:
860:
848:
845:
834:–1497/1503–1504)
833:
830:
810:
750:
747:
655:
652:
631:
628:
615:
612:
586:
583:
532:
525:
518:
509:
508:
477:
461:
447:
441:
431:
425:
418:
412:
398:
392:
376:
370:
356:
350:
336:
303:
302:
294:
285:
284:
273:
247:in pen-and-ink.
25:Albrecht Dürer,
1359:
1358:
1354:
1353:
1352:
1350:
1349:
1348:
1314:
1313:
1312:
1307:
1283:
1252:
1236:
1230:
1191:
1176:
1144:
1138:
1028:The Sea Monster
966:
960:
933:(drawing, 1484)
917:
899:
876:
861:
846:
831:
811:
802:
748:
653:
629:
613:
584:
541:
536:
470:
465:
464:
448:
444:
432:
428:
419:
415:
399:
395:
386:Wayback Machine
377:
373:
357:
353:
337:
306:
295:
288:
274:
270:
265:
253:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1357:
1347:
1346:
1341:
1336:
1331:
1329:1504 paintings
1326:
1309:
1308:
1306:
1305:
1303:Dürer (crater)
1300:
1291:
1289:
1285:
1284:
1282:
1281:
1276:
1271:
1266:
1260:
1258:
1254:
1253:
1251:
1250:
1244:
1242:
1238:
1237:
1235:
1234:
1219:
1211:
1203:
1195:
1180:
1165:
1157:
1148:
1146:
1140:
1139:
1137:
1136:
1128:
1120:
1112:
1108:Triumphal Arch
1104:
1096:
1088:
1080:
1072:
1064:
1056:
1048:
1040:
1032:
1024:
1016:
1008:
1000:
992:
984:
970:
968:
962:
961:
959:
958:
950:
942:
934:
925:
923:
922:Self-portraits
919:
918:
916:
915:
907:
888:
880:
865:
850:
835:
819:
817:
813:
812:
805:
803:
801:
800:
792:
784:
776:
768:
760:
752:
737:
729:
721:
713:
705:
697:
689:
681:
673:
665:
657:
641:
633:
617:
600:Haller Madonna
596:
588:
573:
565:
557:
549:
547:
543:
542:
539:Albrecht Dürer
535:
534:
527:
520:
512:
506:
505:
497:
486:
469:
468:External links
466:
463:
462:
442:
426:
413:
393:
371:
358:Gloria Fossi,
351:
304:
286:
267:
266:
264:
261:
260:
259:
252:
249:
222:Erwin Panofsky
103:Fra Bartolomeo
53:Albrecht Dürer
49:panel painting
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1356:
1345:
1342:
1340:
1337:
1335:
1332:
1330:
1327:
1325:
1322:
1321:
1319:
1304:
1301:
1298:
1297:
1293:
1292:
1290:
1286:
1280:
1277:
1275:
1272:
1270:
1267:
1265:
1262:
1261:
1259:
1255:
1249:
1246:
1245:
1243:
1239:
1225:
1224:
1220:
1217:
1216:
1212:
1209:
1208:
1204:
1201:
1200:
1196:
1186:
1185:
1184:Praying Hands
1181:
1171:
1170:
1166:
1163:
1162:
1158:
1155:
1154:
1150:
1149:
1147:
1141:
1134:
1133:
1129:
1126:
1125:
1121:
1118:
1117:
1113:
1110:
1109:
1105:
1102:
1101:
1097:
1094:
1093:
1089:
1086:
1085:
1081:
1078:
1077:
1076:Small Passion
1073:
1070:
1069:
1065:
1062:
1061:
1060:Great Passion
1057:
1054:
1053:
1049:
1046:
1045:
1041:
1038:
1037:
1033:
1030:
1029:
1025:
1022:
1021:
1017:
1014:
1013:
1009:
1006:
1005:
1001:
998:
997:
993:
990:
989:
985:
983:
982:
977:
976:
972:
971:
969:
963:
956:
955:
951:
948:
947:
943:
940:
939:
935:
932:
931:
927:
926:
924:
920:
913:
912:
908:
905:
894:
893:
889:
886:
885:
881:
871:
870:
866:
856:
855:
851:
841:
840:
836:
826:
825:
821:
820:
818:
814:
809:
798:
797:
793:
790:
789:
785:
782:
781:
777:
774:
773:
769:
766:
765:
761:
758:
757:
753:
743:
742:
738:
735:
734:
730:
727:
726:
722:
719:
718:
714:
711:
710:
706:
703:
702:
698:
695:
694:
690:
687:
686:
682:
679:
678:
674:
672:(before 1505)
671:
670:
666:
663:
662:
658:
648:
646:
642:
639:
638:
634:
625:(attributed,
624:
622:
618:
608:
607:
602:
601:
597:
594:
593:
589:
579:
578:
574:
571:
570:
566:
563:
562:
558:
556:
555:
551:
550:
548:
544:
540:
533:
528:
526:
521:
519:
514:
513:
510:
503:
502:
498:
496:
492:
491:
487:
484:
482:
476:
472:
471:
460:
456:
452:
446:
440:
439:9788884162373
436:
430:
423:
417:
411:
407:
403:
397:
391:
387:
383:
380:
375:
369:
368:88-09-03675-1
365:
361:
355:
349:
345:
341:
335:
333:
331:
329:
327:
325:
323:
321:
319:
317:
315:
313:
311:
309:
300:
293:
291:
282:
278:
272:
268:
258:
255:
254:
248:
246:
242:
238:
233:
231:
227:
223:
219:
215:
214:
209:
208:
202:
200:
196:
195:graphic works
192:
187:
183:
181:
176:
174:
170:
166:
162:
161:
155:
151:
147:
143:
139:
136:
131:
129:
124:
119:
117:
112:
110:
109:
104:
100:
96:
92:
88:
85:
81:
76:
74:
70:
66:
62:
61:Schlosskirche
58:
54:
50:
46:
45:
36:
32:
28:
23:
19:
1294:
1221:
1213:
1205:
1197:
1182:
1167:
1159:
1151:
1145:watercolours
1130:
1122:
1114:
1106:
1098:
1092:Melencolia I
1090:
1082:
1074:
1066:
1058:
1050:
1042:
1034:
1026:
1018:
1010:
1002:
994:
986:
979:
973:
965:Woodcuts and
952:
944:
936:
928:
909:
890:
882:
867:
852:
837:
822:
794:
786:
778:
770:
762:
754:
739:
731:
723:
715:
707:
701:Adam and Eve
699:
691:
683:
675:
667:
660:
659:
644:
635:
620:
604:
598:
590:
575:
567:
559:
552:
499:
488:
480:
450:
445:
429:
421:
416:
401:
396:
374:
359:
354:
339:
298:
280:
271:
244:
236:
234:
229:
217:
211:
205:
203:
188:
184:
180:Adam and Eve
179:
177:
172:
168:
164:
160:Wunderkammer
159:
137:
132:
127:
120:
115:
113:
106:
77:
43:
42:
40:
26:
18:
1344:Altarpieces
1231: 1503
1192: 1508
1177: 1503
1071:(1510–1511)
1063:(1497–1510)
1031:(1498–1500)
900: 1508
877: 1503
862: 1500
847: 1500
832: 1496
816:Altarpieces
749: 1520
654: 1500
630: 1498
623:(Nuremberg)
614: 1498
585: 1496
150:perspective
123:physiognomy
95:Luigi Lanzi
1318:Categories
1153:Young Hare
1116:Rhinoceros
1044:Visitation
1004:Apocalypse
981:engravings
967:engravings
459:0436236753
410:0674052617
348:0674052617
263:References
146:Italianate
138:Adorations
73:Italianate
65:Wittenberg
1143:Drawings,
546:Paintings
241:Albertina
230:Adoration
228:with the
165:Adoration
128:Adoration
87:Rudolf II
902:) (with
647:(Munich)
483:by Dürer
382:Archived
279:(1905).
251:See also
226:triptych
199:theorist
191:painting
189:Dürer's
78:In 1603
69:northern
35:Florence
1288:Related
1241:Museums
693:Avarice
493:on the
169:tresoor
148:use of
135:Antwerp
1257:Family
1218:(1514)
1210:(1514)
1202:(1512)
1164:(1503)
1156:(1502)
1135:(1526)
1127:(1522)
1119:(1515)
1111:(1515)
1103:(1514)
1095:(1514)
1087:(1513)
1079:(1511)
1055:(1504)
1047:(1503)
1039:(1500)
1023:(1497)
1015:(1498)
1007:(1498)
999:(1496)
991:(1495)
957:(1500)
949:(1498)
941:(1493)
914:(1511)
887:(1506)
879:–1504)
799:(1526)
791:(1526)
783:(1526)
775:(1526)
767:(1521)
759:(1521)
736:(1519)
728:(1519)
720:(1518)
712:(1508)
704:(1507)
696:(1507)
688:(1505)
680:(1506)
664:(1504)
640:(1500)
595:(1497)
572:(1496)
564:(1490)
457:
437:
408:
366:
360:Uffizi
346:
99:Uffizi
91:Vienna
31:Uffizi
299:Dürer
144:with
47:is a
455:ISBN
435:ISBN
406:ISBN
364:ISBN
344:ISBN
71:and
41:The
105:'s
63:in
51:by
1320::
1228:c.
1189:c.
1174:c.
978:,
897:c.
874:c.
859:c.
844:c.
829:c.
746:c.
651:c.
627:c.
611:c.
582:c.
307:^
289:^
201:.
152:,
111:.
33:,
1233:)
1226:(
1194:)
1187:(
1179:)
1172:(
906:)
895:(
872:(
864:)
857:(
849:)
842:(
827:(
751:)
744:(
656:)
649:(
632:)
616:)
609:(
603:/
587:)
580:(
531:e
524:t
517:v
37:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
