Adoration of the Magi

The Virgin Mary, seated at the left on a stoop before a thatch and masonry structure, holds the infant Jesus on her knees with her left hand while raising the other in greeting. The bald wise man, known as Melchior, kneels before the seated group, holding out a box into which the child reaches. Standing behind, each holding his gift, are the other two Magi, identified by the late Middle Ages as Balthazar and Caspar.

On the other side of the enclosing wall, a landscape featuring a church, a lake, and mountains recedes into the distance. The palette is especially rich, and the simulation of luxurious textiles and fur is remarkably convincing. The Virgin’s halo is inscribed with the greeting of the angel Gabriel at the announcement of the impending birth of Jesus: ave maria gratia plena dominus tecum (Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you).

At the lower edge, the plinth riser bears the name Hans Schwinli vō Münchē 1507, presumably the name of the Munich citizen who commissioned the panel.