A pastoral Adoration of the Magi, with the eastern kings offering precious gifts to the newborn Christ Child before an ox and ass in a thatched stable and a collared sheepdog guarding sheep while the shepherds dance to the sound of a lone bagpiper: Late Gothic fresco in medieval cloister of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta at Bressanone-Brixen, South Tyrol, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy.
Bressanone-Brixen, South Tyrol, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy: a charming pastoral take on an enduring theme in Western Christian art: a Late Gothic Adoration of the Magi fresco with a collared sheepdog guarding sheep as shepherds dance to the tunes of a lone bagpiper and a red ox and grey ass shelter under a thatched roof. In the foreground, eastern kings Balthazar, Melchior and Caspar or Gaspar offer precious gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to a golden-haired Christ Child who blesses them as he sits on Saint Mary’s knee. This artwork is amongst the late-14th and early-15th century frescoes on the walls and ribbed ceiling vaults of the medieval cloister beside the Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta or Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption. The original cloister was rebuilt after a fire in 1174, but its first Late Gothic frescoes were painted around 1390 by a group of artists active throughout this mainly German-speaking region, including some from the nearby town of Brunico or Brunech. Later frescoes here are believed to be either the sole work of 15th century painter and sculptor Lienhart Scherhauff (also known as Leonhard von Brixen or Leonardo da Bressanone), or are by his studio, which produced fresco cycles for churches throughout South and East Tyrol. Lienhart and his artists are credited with transforming the often harsh and crude nature of the region’s Christian art. Their more delicate style is most obvious in the softer and more lifelike faces of Old and New Testament biblical characters. Some frescoes in this cloister also feature Leonardo’s emblem, the painted scorpion he used as a signature or trademark that led to him becoming known as the Maestro dello Scorpione (Master of the Scorpion).
Size: 4115px × 2733px
Location: Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, Bressanone-Brixen, South Tyrol, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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