Title

The Adoration of the Magi

painter

Berruguete, Pedro (Paredes de Nava, ca. 1445 - Madrid, ca. 1503)

Generic classification

Object

Date

Century

Cultural context / style

Material

Technique

Iconography / Theme

Provenance

Current location

Object history

The provenance of this work is unknown, although it is most likely from the Castilian-Leonese region. Silva Maroto (1998) argues that the painting was part of the collection of the antiquarian Juan Lafora Calatayud (Madrid). This businessman had dealings with the antiquarian and art dealer Jacques Seligmann, to whom he sold several pieces in the early 20th century, and this may have been one of them. Alberto José Pani, known for his role in Mexican politics, was also an avid art collector. Between 1919 and 1920, he formed his first collection following a diplomatic visit to Paris, where he was able to attend auctions and antique shops. Years later, between 1927 and 1929, he assembled his second collection (Fernández, 1940; Ortega Ramírez, 2020). In 1933, while travelling to London as Secretary of Finance and Public Credit, Pani acquired, on behalf of the government, eight panels from Spain, one of which was by Berruguete. A year later, in 1934, the Museo de San Carlos in Mexico received a donation from the Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit, at which point the panel became part of the museum's collection (Guerrero Mondoño and Cortés Guzmán, 2004).

Description

The scene, drawn from the Gospel of Saint Matthew, depicts the Adoration of the Magi. Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar visit the newborn Christ Child, who is held in the arms of the Virgin. They bring rich gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The composition is reminiscent of the canvases Pedro Berruguete likely created for the Church of Santo Tomás, which are now housed in the Museo Nacional del Prado (Madrid).

Locations

• ca. 1485 - Early XX^th c.

  region

  Possible origin from Castile and Leon, Castilla y León (Spain)

• Early XX^th c. - ca. 1933

  dealer/antiquarian

  Juan Lafora Calatayud, Madrid (Spain) *

• ca. 1933 - ca. 1934

  private collection

  Alberto José Pani, Ciudad de México (Mexico) *

• ca. 1933 - ca. 1934

  private collection

  Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, Mexico, Mexico (Mexico) *

• ca. 1934 - present

  museum

  National Museum of San Carlos, Ciudad de México (Mexico)