Hieronymus Bosch, The Adoration of the Magi
Museo del Prado, MadridPaintings sorted by Historical period | Painter | Subject matter | Pigments used
Overview
Hieronymus Bosch, The Adoration of the Magi triptych consists of the following four parts: the left panel depicting Saint Peter with a Donor, the central panel showing the adoration of the Magi, the right panel showing Saint Agnes with a female donor and finally the painted shutters depicting the Mass of Saint Gregory.
The painting was thoroughly investigated by The Bosch Research and Conservation Project. The results of this investigation were published in a magnificent book referenced in the section “Recommended Books” below. An extensive interactive online feature at the website of the project complements the book and shows all the images from the book in high resolution.
The pigment analysis revealed a limited palette consisting of the usual pigments employed in the Renaissance period, such as azurite, lead-tin yellow, vermilion, carmine cochineal, and possibly natural ultramarine.
Medium: Oil and egg
Support: Oak
Size: height including frame = 147.4 cm
width including frame = 168.6 cm
Art period: Renaissance
Date: ca 1491-98
Museo del Prado, Madrid, Inventory number: P02048
Painting at the website of the BOSCH PROJECT
Story in the Bible
The Adoration of the Magi in ‘Art and the Bible‘
Matthew 2:11
“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”
Parts of the Triptych
Left Panel: ‘Saint Peter and Peter Bronckhorst as Donor’
Central Panel: ‘The Adoration of the Magi’
Right Panel: ‘Saint Agnes and Agnes Bosshuysse as Donor’
Shutters: ‘Mass of Saint Gregory’
Pigments
Pigment Analysis
This pigment analysis is based on the work of the scientists at The Bosch Research and Conservation Project (1). The scientists employed x-ray radiography (XRR), infrared photography (IRP) and infrared reflectography (IRR) to gain insights into the inner layers of the painting and to identify the pigments.
Left Panel: ‘Saint Peter and Peter Bronckhorst as Donor’
1 Joseph’s face: vermilion and lead white. A red lake was used for accents on his nose.
2 Joseph’s blue hood: azurite.
3 Fire: base of gold-leaf with bigger amounts of vermilion and red lake. Highlights are painted in lead white mixed with a smaller quantity of vermilion. The final details are painted in lead-tin yellow, red lake, and black paint.
4 Saint Peter’s red robe: underpainting of lead white containing vermilion and red lake and red lake in darker areas.
5 Coat of arms: silver leaf was used for the helmet and in the upper half. Lead-tin yellow and in some places lead white were used over thickly applied copper-green lake.
Center Panel: ‘The Adoration of the Magi’
1 Blue sky: azurite and lead white in varying proportions.
2 Background landscape: The base layer consists of lead-tin yellow and/or lead white with lead-tin yellow and brown ochre mixed in some of the areas. Green glazes were found on top of this layer.
3 Green foliage: green glazes varying from light to dark. Highlights are painted in lead-tin yellow.
4 Cavalry soldiers: Bosch used stronger colours with more contrast than in the cavalry on the right side of the panel. The soldiers are painted in azurite, vermilion, and green.
5 Cavalry at the right: painted in rather subdued colours using red lake with some lead-tin yellow and azurite.
6 Coverlet of the mule: base of vermilion with lead-tin yellow diagonal lines.
7 Mary’s hair: brown base followed by brown ochre and umber lines with highlights of yellow ochre and lead white.
8 Mary’s blue robe: azurite with lead white and possibly small amounts of natural ultramarine.
9 Rectangular red gem on the headgear: vermilion, red lake and lead white overpainted with more red lake with lead-tin yellow and black contours.
10 Red robe of the page: red lake and vermilion with decorations in lead white.
Right Panel: ‘Saint Agnes and Agnes Bosshuysse as Donor’
1 Blue distant landscape: azurite and lead white.
2 Saint Agnes’s red robe: carmine cochineal and madder lakes and yellow ochre.
References
(1) Luuk Hoogstede, Ron Spronk, Matthijs Ilsink, Robert G. Erdmann, Jos Koldeweij, Rik Klein Gotink, Hieronymus Bosch, Painter and Draughtsman: Technical Studies, Yale University Press, 2016, pp. 154 – 171.
(2) Carmen Garrido and Roger Van Schoute, Bosch At The Museo Del Prado – Technical Study, Aldeasa Publishers 2001.
Pigments Used in This Painting
Resources
See the collection of online and offline resources such as books, articles, videos, and websites on Hieronymus Bosch in the section ‘Resources on Painters‘
PowerPoint Presentations
Painter in Context: Hieronymus Bosch
A richly illustrated presentation on the painting technique and pigments employed by Hieronymus Bosch specially crafted for Art Education. (Number of Slides = 20)
- Each presentation starts with the basic resources on the painter such as his biography, main catalogs of his paintings, and a bibliography.
- Next, you find slides describing the painting technique of the artist and the pigments he usually employed in his work.
- The majority of the slides show examples of paintings containing the specific pigments.
Slides showing the basic resources on the life and works of the Northern Renaissance painter Hieronymus Bosch.
The painting technique and all pigments employed by Bosch are shown in the next slides.
The majority of the slides show important examples of paintings where Bosch employed specific pigments. The slides are organized according to the color of the pigments.
Videos
Video: 'Hieronymus Bosch, Adoration of the Magi (Madrid)' by Rollo Paterson
Video: 'Triptych of the Adoration of the Magi (Madrid)' by Luigi Manfredi
Publications and Websites
Publications
(1) Matthijs Ilsink, Jos Koldeweij, Hieronymus Bosch: Painter and Draughtsman – Catalogue raisonné, Yale University Press, New Haven and London 2016, pp 198-215.
This book is also available online in pdf format in two parts: part I and part II.
(2) Luuk Hoogstede, Ron Spronk, Matthijs Ilsink, Robert G. Erdmann, Jos Koldeweij, Rik Klein Gotink, Hieronymus Bosch, Painter and Draughtsman: Technical Studies, Yale University Press, 2016, pp. 154 – 171.
(3) Carmen Garrido and Roger Van Schoute, Bosch At The Museo Del Prado – technical Study, Aldeasa Publishers 2001.
Websites
Website of the Bosch Project
Website of the Bosch Research and Conservation Project
