The Adoration of the Magi 1461

Jean Fouquet made this panel painting, The Adoration of the Magi, using tempera and gold leaf on vellum. Here, Fouquet used traditional artist materials to create a familiar, biblical scene. However, Fouquet set the Nativity against a backdrop of courtly life, which was then a more common contemporary scene. The procession of gift-bearing Magi is rendered with great attention to the materiality of wealth and power. The gold leaf highlights not only the gifts themselves, but also the clothing and armor of the figures. The way in which the artist uses light and shadow to model the forms, combined with the texture of the vellum, adds to the overall richness and depth of the work. The painting highlights the social context of its creation. It invites us to consider the relationship between religious narrative, material display, and the patronage system that supported artists like Fouquet. In this case, the making, materials, and context are crucial in understanding the artwork's meaning, and blurring the lines between fine art and craft.