Adoration of the Magi
Unknown French, French
17th century
Needlework, embroidery, silver
Overall: 28 × 40 1/2 in. (71.1 × 102.9 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Gift of Alice and M. R. Schweitzer
T.961.260
Geography
Place Made: France, Europe
Period
1600-1800
Object Name
Textile: Tapestry
Research Area
Decorative Arts
On view
Inscriptions
Not signed.
Label
Embroidery and needlework were time-intensive crafts often practiced by women. In this textile, the kings Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar bring frankincense, myrrh, and gold to the infant Jesus. Sitting on his mother’s lap, the Christ Child reaches out to bless the magi. Despite the luxurious gifts, a large ox and horse set the scene within a humble stable. While the dyes have faded over time, the embroidery was once richly colored, as in the standing magi’s scarlet robe. Stitched throughout are silver-wrapped threads that have now tarnished to a blue-grey. When new, the embroidery would have gleamed under the flicker of candles, bringing the figures to life.
From the 2024 exhibition Living with Sculpture: Presence and Power in Europe, 1400–1750, curated by Elizabeth Rice Mattison, Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Academic Programming and Curator of European Art, and Ashley Offill, Curator of Collections
Course History
History 42.01, Women's Gender, and Sexuality Studies 22.01, Gender & European Society, Patrick Meehan, Spring 2024
History 96.39, Saints and Relics, Cecilia Gaposchkin, Spring 2024
Italian 1.01, Introductory Italian I, Noemi Perego, Spring 2024
Italian 11.01, Intensive Italian, Floriana Ciniglia, Spring 2024
Italian 2.01, Introductory Italian II, Floriana Ciniglia, Spring 2024
Italian 3.01, Introductory Italian III, Tania Convertini, Spring 2024
Italian 3.02, Introductory Italian III, Giorgio Alberti, Spring 2024
Exhibition History
Living with Sculpture: Presence and Power in Europe, 1400–1750, Citrin Family Gallery and Engles Family Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 23, 2024–March 22, 2025.
Religious Imagery, Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, Vermont, December 12, 1975-January 3, 1976.
Provenance
[Marthe] Alice (1915-2004) and M. R. [Meyer (Mac) R.] Schweitzer (1911-2006), New York; given to present collection, 1961.
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