The Adoration of the Magi (Virgin of the Grotto)
<p>This unfinished engraving presents the <em>Adoration of the Magi</em> in a cave instead of its typical stable setting. The unusual cropping to a detail of Mantegna’s original painting alludes to the grotesque style of art that was popular at the time the print was made. The word “grotto” (or <em>grotta</em> in Italian) literally translates into “cave,” while the grotesque style was patterned on antique paintings found underground that featured images of bizarre creatures or people, intermingled with foliage, columns, and animals.</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1495
- Medium
- Engraving on paper
- Dimensions
- 37.8 × 28 cm (14 15/16 × 11 1/16 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Artist
- Andrea Mantegna
Artist
Painting
Andrea Mantegna was an Italian Renaissance painter, a student of Roman archaeology, and the son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini.
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More by Andrea Mantegna
Triumphs of Julius Caesar: Canvas No. V
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Triumphs of Julius Caesar: Canvas No. IX
1700 · Pen and brown ink, with brush and gray wash, heightened with lead white (oxidized), on cream laid paper prepared with yellow wash
Triumphs of Julius Caesar: Canvas No. I
1700 · Pen and brown ink, with brush and gray wash, heightened with lead white (oxidized), on cream laid paper, pieced and prepared with yellow wash
Triumphs of Julius Caesar: Canvas No. IV
1700 · Pen and brown ink, with brush and gray wash, heightened with lead white (oxidized), on cream laid paper, pieced and prepared with yellow wash
Triumphs of Julius Caesar: Canvas No. VII
1700 · Pen and brown ink, with brush and gray wash, heightened with lead white (oxidized), on cream laid paper prepared with yellow wash
Triumphs of Julius Caesar: Canvas No. VII
1700 · Pen and brown ink, with brush and gray wash, heightened with lead white (oxidized), on cream laid paper prepared with yellow wash
Record
Verified by WattsOS- Artist
- Andrea Mantegna
- Year
- 1495
- Medium
- Engraving on paper
- Dimensions
- 37.8 × 28 cm (14 15/16 × 11 1/16 in.)
- Watts ID
- WW-1495-097914
Source
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified