L'Épiphanie

Three kings kneel before the Christ Child outside a fragile hut, but look closer: toads, a strange half-naked figure and distant armies hint that Bosch's Epiphany is not as calm as it seems.

The story behind the painting

The Adoration of the Magi, or The Epiphany, is a triptych in oil on wood by Hieronymus Bosch, executed around 1485-1500 according to the Wikipedia article. Around 1494, which is the date Wikidata gives, it was commissioned by Peeter Scheyfve and Agnes de Gramme, wealthy burghers of Antwerp. A dendrochronological study in 2016 found the panels were produced after 1472, most probably after 1474. The altarpiece later hung in the monastery of El Escorial, where in 1605 Fray José de Sigüenza described it as an Epiphany without any extravaganza, unlike Bosch's other works there. It has been in the Museo del Prado in Madrid since 1839.

What to look for

In the central panel a monumental Mary sits outside a precarious hut, holding the Child. Melchior, the eldest king, kneels with his gift, a gold sculpture of the Sacrifice of Isaac; beneath it crawl toads, and his crown lies on the ground. Caspar, behind, wears a mantle showing the Queen of Sheba visiting Solomon. Balthazar, dark-skinned, in white robes embroidered with thorny leaves, brings myrrh with a servant. In the doorway stands a strange half-naked figure in a red mantle, with a wound on his ankle under glass. On the wings kneel the donors with Saint Peter and Saint Agnes; behind Agnes, a bear and a wolf attack people. Closed, the shutters show the Mass of Saint Gregory in grisaille.

Meaning and intent

Bosch filled a traditional scene with warnings. The Sacrifice of Isaac on Melchior's gift foretells Christ's Passion, while the toads are symbols of heresy. The fallen crown alludes to the powerlessness of earthly power before heaven. The mysterious figure in the doorway has been read as another prefiguration of the Passion, as a sign of heresy threatening the faithful, or even as the Antichrist. Shepherds creep around the hut, armies run in the far background, and the outer frame traces Christ's Passion up to the Crucifixion, where a devil carries off Judas's soul. The joyful arrival of the kings is thus set within a wider story of sacrifice, sin and salvation.

Legacy

The altarpiece also preserves its patrons. Peeter Scheyfve is identified by his coat of arms and motto, Een voer al, One for all, and Agnes de Gramme by her own arms. The two coloured donor figures on the closed shutters are a later addition. Technical study shows Bosch used ochres, lead-tin yellow, vermilion, carmine and azurite, consistent with his other works, with natural ultramarine used sparingly in the Virgin's robe. That precious blue marks Mary out at the heart of the scene. Having passed from Antwerp to El Escorial and then to the Prado, the triptych remains one of the key works by Bosch in Madrid.

Le saviez-vous ?

The Wikipedia article dates it about 1485-1500; Wikidata gives 1494, around when it was commissioned.
Commissioned by Peeter Scheyfve and Agnes de Gramme of Antwerp.
Dendrochronology in 2016 dated the panels after 1472, most probably after 1474.
Natural ultramarine appears only in small amounts, in the Virgin's robe.

Wikipedia · Wikidata