• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Your Contact in Florence

Helping you to plan your holiday in Florence

  • Home
  • What to do
  • Where to stay
  • Books
  • Blog
    • News and Events
    • Attractions
    • History
    • Food and Wine
  • Contact
  • About

Gentile da Fabriano Adoration of the Magi

January 31, 2015 By Andrea Leave a Comment

The sparkling masterpiece

gentile da fabriano adoration of the magiFew paintings inside the Uffizi Gallery attract visitors like Gentile da Fabriano Adoration of the Magi. Normally the painting is on display in one of the first rooms: basically it’s the last Gothic painting before you move to the room of the early Renaissance. I notice how people get disappointed in the next room. After having admired Gentile da Fabriano Adoration of the Magi, it’s difficult to appreciate the very first Renaissance works: probably the human aesthetic sense needs some time to adapt, or probably it’s just the unfair comparison between a mature style, that spent centuries perfecting, with something very new which is moving his first steps. I always wonder if the first patrons of the Renaissance, like the Medici family, got disappointed at the very first works of the new artistic trend. Whatever the answer, that we’ll never know, this shows me how open-minded they were in believing in the new trend when even us today have this bad first impression.

 

  • Private Tour of the Uffizi Gallery, Florence - Skip the Line!
  • Price: $59.34
  • Galleria dell' Accademia and Uffizi Gallery Guided Tour - Skip the Line!
  • Price: $82.07
  • Uffizi Gallery Tour, Florence - Skip the Line!
  • Price: $35.46

 

 

Gentile da Fabriano Adoration of the Magi

Back on topic, the altarpiece, extremely rich in gold and refined in any part, is considered a masterpiece of the late Gothic style. It was made in 1423 for the rich silk merchant Palla Strozzi. Unlike the Medici, Palla Strozzi still preferred the traditional late Gothic style and received at his court Gentile, a traveling painter already in his fifties, who had been in Venice and in several other Italian cities. In the land register, instituted in Florence in 1427, Palla Strozzi resulted as the richest man in Florence, even more than Cosimo de Medici. At that time, a chapel for the Strozzi family was under construction by Lorenzo Ghiberti in the church of Santa Trinita. Gentile da Fabriano Adoration of the Magi was the altarpiece of the Strozzi Chapel (now the sacristy) in the church of Santa Trinita until it was moved to the Accademia Gallery in 1806; then it was finally moved to the Uffizi in 1919.

gentile da fabriano adoration of the magi

The painting shows the influence received by Gentile da Fabriano from the new Renaissance style in Florence; although the shape resembles the typical Medieval triptych, the three arches enclosing the paint are not Gothic but classical rounded arches. At the same time, even though the landscape is not proportioned or represented in linear perspective, the characters in the foreground are quite realistic, with very different faces and real portraits, unlike similar Gothic works of the same period. The center of the painting is not filled by the most important characters: actually, Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary are on one side, and what catches your attention is the three Magi, clothed with incredible elegance and splendor. Well the patron of the work was a silk merchant, right? Was Gentile meant to showcase his product? That’s possible. The two men behind the youngest of the Magi are the portraits of Palla Strozzi and his son, visible in the particular on the left.

What people don’t realize at first sight, is that this painting is telling us a story, just like comics. It represents four episodes of the long trip made by the three wise men. Three Asian Kings, who realized that Jesus Christ was the King of Kings and decided to bring gifts to the newborn. The first three episodes are in the higher part of the painting, just below the arches.

gentile da fabriano adoration of the magiOn the top left, three men on a hill see the comet star in the sky.

gentile da fabriano adoration of the magiOn top center, the procession led by the three Kings gets to Jerusalem.

gentile da fabriano adoration of the magiOn the top right, the parade gets to Bethlehem.

gentile da fabriano adoration of the magiIn the bottom part, the parade meets the Holy Family. The three Magi, traditionally represented as an old man, a mature man and a young man, hand gifts to Jesus Christ.

Gentile da Fabriano Adoration of the Magi is probably the highest point reached by the Gothic style, that will survive in Florence for just 20-25 more years, replaced by the rising Renaissance, while in the remainder of Europe it will survive for about one more century.

 

  • Florence Sightseeing Tour with Galleria dell' Accademia - Skip the Line!
  • Price: $59.58
  • The Best of Florence - Private Tour
  • Price: $78.60
  • Best of Florence Walking Tour including Accademia Gallery & Duomo!
  • Price: $61.83

 

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Best tours reviewed by a professional tour guide

Private day trips to Florence

Best tours in Florence

  • Florence in a Nutshell; Uffizi, Galleria Accademia, Duomo & More!
  • Description:See all the sites of Florence including skip the line entrance to the Uffizi and Accademia galleries
  • Price: $122.74
 
  • Skip-The-Line Brunelleschi Tour – Florence Duomo
  • Description:Discover the genius of the architect Brunelleschi when you climb the Florence Cathedral dome
  • Price: $83.68
 
  • Small-Group Palazzo Vecchio Secret Passages Tour with Lunch
  • Visit the secret passages of Palazzo Vecchio, as seen on "Inferno".
  • Price: $42.70

Insider tips for lodging in Florence

where to stay in florence

Best Luxury hotels

Booking.com

Best Bed & Breakfast

Booking.com

Best Countryside Villas

Booking.com
  • Privacy & Cookie policy
  • Copyright
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Copyright 2014 © 2023 · yourcontactinflorence.com · All rights reserved.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT