Artwork
Die Anbetung der Könige
Die Anbetung der Könige is a paint painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Lucas van Leyden. It is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1550, *Die Anbetung der Könige* is an oil painting by the Dutch artist Lucas van Leyden. Executed in the Northern Renaissance idiom, the work is held in the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin. It presents a religious tableau rendered with careful observation of figures, architecture, and landscape, reflecting the artist’s mature period.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a seated woman cradling an infant, surrounded by several standing men who hold various objects. The gathering suggests the biblical episode of the Magi’s homage, though the figures are portrayed in a domestic courtyard rather than a distant exotic setting, emphasizing human interaction and devotion.
Technique & Style
Van Leyden employs a realistic approach, modeling forms with subtle chiaroscuro that gives volume to flesh and fabric. Fine brushwork captures textures of clothing, stone, and foliage, while the muted palette and careful handling of light create atmospheric depth. The naturalistic gestures and expressions align with Northern Renaissance attention to detail.
History & Provenance
The painting entered the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, where it remains on display. Its attribution to Lucas van Leyden, a noted engraver and early adopter of genre scenes in Dutch art, has been confirmed through stylistic analysis and archival records dating to the mid‑16th century.
Context
During the mid‑1500s, Dutch artists began to explore everyday subjects within religious narratives, a trend reflected in van Leyden’s work. *Die Anbetung der Könige* illustrates this shift, merging devotional content with a scene that resembles contemporary domestic life, a hallmark of Northern European visual culture at the time.
Artist & collection
Artist
Lucas van Leyden (1494 – 8 August 1533), was a Dutch painter and printmaker in engraving and woodcut. Lucas van Leyden was among the first Dutch exponents of genre painting and was a very accomplished engraver.
Salome with the head of St John the Baptist
The Virgin and Child
Worship of the Golden Calf
A Game of Chess
Mary with Child, St. Maria Magdalena and founder (separate outside, Inv. No. 7713)
Inner left wing of a diptych with Christ as the Man of Sorrows
Inner right wing of a diptych with the Virgin as Mater Dolorosa
Annunciation
Adoration of the Shepherds
Adoration of the Magi
Adoration of the Kings
The Adoration of the Magi
The Adoration of the Kings
The Adoration of the Kings
The Adoration of the Kings
Adoration of the sheperds (Verso: Angel of the Annunciation)
Anbetung der Heiligen Drei Könige
The Adoration of the Shepherds
Adoration of the Magi before the stable on the hill
Adoration of the Christ Child