The Adoration of the Kings

Artist Ottaviano Nelli (Italian, about 1370–about 1444)

Dateend of the 1300s–early 1400s

Mediumtempera on panel

Dimensionspanel: 84 × 47.9 cm (33 1/16 × 18 7/8 in.)
frame: 104.9 × 68.3 × 8.7 cm (41 5/16 × 26 7/8 × 3 7/16 in.)

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Terms

wood

Object number1920.2

Label TextOttaviano, called Nelli, was a provincial painter from the town of Gubbio. He traveled through Umbria executing both frescos and panel paintings. His style remained consistently within the International Gothic tradition, without showing the influence of the contemporary Renaissance innovations spreading from Florence. In this panel, he packs his scene with activity and detail. His interest is not in spatial logic but in narrative, so he crowds all the figures he can into the hilly landscape, allowing the camels to become larger than the walled town in front of them. Attention is called not only to the actions of the important foreground figures, but also to the reactions of each of the attendants. The result is a picture of great charm and individuality.ProvenanceEugene Bottonweiser, London, UK, by 1920; sold to the Worcester Art Museum, 1920.

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