The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 20, 2024

Adoration of the Magi

Adoration of the Magi

1500s
(Italian, c. 1488–1576)
Italy, 16th century
oil on canvas
Framed: 168 x 250 x 14 cm (66 1/8 x 98 7/16 x 5 1/2 in.); Unframed: 134.5 x 217 cm (52 15/16 x 85 7/16 in.)
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1957.150
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This painting is filled with naturalistic details such as the riders who struggle to keep their horses and mules still and a small dog who urinates on a beam.

Description

Is this painting by Titian?

Titian, the celebrated and prolific 16th-century Venetian artist, and his large workshop painted several versions of this subject. Further research is needed to compare this painting with versions in Milan and Madrid to determine how much of each is by Titian himself, as opposed to being the work of his studio assistants. The Prado Museum in Madrid is often considered to have a copy made from Cleveland’s painting, which is superior in execution but not condition. Despite the damage caused by overcleaning, there are many fine passages, including the bowing white horse, his groom in shadow, and the cradled Christ child.
  • Walsh Porter (died 1810), upon his death, held in trust by the estate
    Estate of Walsh Porter (unsold, Christie's, London, April 14, 1810, no. 38; unsold, Christie's, London, June 21, 1811, no. 40; sold, Christie's, London, May 6, 1826, no. 7)
    Samuel Rogers (sold, Christie's, London, May 2, 1856, no. 700, to Mr. Ripp);
    Hugh A. J. Munro of Novar (1797-1864), upon his death, held in trust by the estate
    Estate of Hugh A. J. Munro of Novar, (unsold, Christie's, London, May 18, 1867, no. 183; sold, Christie's, London, June 1, 1878, no. 121, to C. Butler)
    Butler Johnstone, 1881
    William Graham (1817-1885), upon his death, held in trust by the estate
    Estate of William Graham (sold, Christie's, London, April 10, 1886, no. 472)
    J. Stewart Hodgson (sold, Christie's, London, June 3, 1893, no. 31)
    Ralph Brocklebank (sale: Christie's, London, July 7, 1922, no. 112)
    Julius Bohler, Munich
    Durlacher Brothers, London and New York
    1928-1957
    Arthur Sachs [1880-1975] sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1957-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Waagen, Gustav Friedrich, Elizabeth Eastlake, and Algernon Graves. Treasures of Art in Great Britain: Being an Account of the Chief Collections of Paintings, Drawings, Sculptures, Illuminated Mss., &C. &C. London, United Kingdom: J. Murray, 1854. Reproduced: p. 267
    Munro, H. A. J. A Complete Catalogue of the Paintings, Water-Colour Drawings, Drawings, and Prints, in the Collection of the Late Hugh Andrew Johnstone Munro, Esq., of Novar : At the Time of His Death Deposited in His House, No. 6 Hamilton Place, London : With Some Additional Paintings at Novar. London: publisher not identified, 1865. Reproduced: p. 15, no. 23
    Crowe, J. A., and G. B. Cavalcaselle. The Life and Times of Titian: With Some Account of His Family. London, United Kingdom: Murray, 1881. Mentioned: p. 308-309, 519-520
    Redford, George. Art Sales. A History of Sales of Pictures and Other Works of Art. With Notices of the Collections Sold, Names of Owners, Titles of Pictures, Prices and Purchasers, Arranged Under the Artists of the Different Schools in Order of Date. Including the Purchases and Prices of Pictures for the National Gallery. London, United Kingdom: Bradbury, Agnew, & Co., Printers, the "Whitefriars" Press, 1888. Reproduced: p. 104, vol. I
    Brocklebank, Ralph, and Robert Radcliffe Carter. Pictures & Engravings at Haughton Hall, Tarporley, in the Possession of Ralph Brocklebank. London, United Kingdom: G. Allen, 1904. Reproduced: p. 4, no. 2
    Graves, Algernon. Art Sales from Early in the Eighteenth Century to Early in the Twentieth Century (Mostly Old Master and Early English Pictures). London, United Kingdom: A. Graves, 1918. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 211-213, vol. III
    Bryson Burroughs, "Titian's Adoration of the Kings': An Important Loan" Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, XXV (1930): 268-271. Mentioned: p. 268-271; Reproduced: p. 269
    Venturi, Lionello. Pitture italiane in America. Milano, Italy: U. Hoepli, 1931. Reproduced: p. 386, CCCLXXXVI.
    Suida, Wilhelm. Tizian. Zürich-Leipzig: Orell Füssli, 1933. Mentioned: p. 137-138, 174, 188
    Venturi, Lionello. Italian Paintings in America. New York, NY: E. Wyhe, 1933. Reproduced: no. 526,
    Howe, Thomas C. Jr., "The Arthur Sachs Collection," Bulletin o the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, IV, no. 7 (1946):59-60. Mentioned: p. 59; Reproduced: p. 60
    Howe, Thomas C, Jr., "Two Paintings by Titian," Bulletin of the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, V (September 1947): 34-49. Mentioned: p. 34-49; Reproduced: p. 37
    Tietze, Hans, and Titian. Titian, the Paintings and Drawings. London, United Kingdom: Phaidon Press, 1950. Reproduced: p. 49
    Galbiati, Giovanni. Itinerario per il visitatore della Biblioteca ambrosiana: della Pinacoteca e dei monumenti annessi. Milano, Italy: U. Hoepli, 1951. Reproduced: p. 189
    Berenson, Bernard. 1957. Italian Pictures of the Renaissance: A List of the Principal Artists and Their Works with an Index of Places. Venetian School. New York, NY: Phaidon Publishers; distributed by Garden City Books. Reproduced: p. 184
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 415 archive.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art, and William Mathewson Milliken. The Cleveland Museum of Art. New York, NY: H.N. Abrams, 1958. Reproduced: p. 35
    Francis, Henry S. Francis. "Titian: The Adoration of the Magi," The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art XLVII, no. 3 (March 1960):59-63. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 59-63, fig. 1-3
    Valcanover, Francesco. Tutta la pittura di Tiziano. Milano, Italy: Rizzoli, 1960. Reproduced: p. 70, pl. 171
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 94 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 94 archive.org
    Wethey, Harold E. The Paintings of Titian. London, United Kingdom: Phaidon, 1969. Mentioned: p. 66-68; Reproduced: pl. 122-123
    Pallucchini, Rodolfo. Tiziano. Firenze, Italy: G.C. Sansoni, 1969. Mentioned: p. 165, 308, vol. I: Reproduced: fig. 444, 447, vol. II
    Valcanover, Francesco. L'opera Completa Di Tiziano. Milano, Italy: Rizzoli, 1969. Reproduced: p. 129, no. 424
    Fredericksen, Burton B., and Federico Zeri. Census of Pre-Nineteenth-Century Italian Paintings in North American Public Collections. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1972. Mentioned: p. 202, 273, 574
    Morris, Edward. American Artists in Europe, 1800-1900: [Catalogue of] an Exhibition to Celebrate the Bicentenary of American Independence [Held at the] Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, 14 November-2 January 1976-7. Liverpool], United Kingdom: Merseyside County Council, 1976. Reproduced: p. 8
    Palazzo reale di Milano. Omaggio a Tiziano: la cultura artistica milanese nell'età di Carlo V, Milano, Palazzo Reale, 27 aprile-20 luglio 1977. Milano: Electa, 1977. Reproduced: p. 39
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 109 archive.org
    National Gallery of Scotland, and Hugh Brigstocke. Italian and Spanish Paintings in the National Gallery of Scotland. Edinburgh, Scotland: The Gallery, 1978. Reproduced: p. 13, no. 15
    Walther, Angelo, and Titian. Tizian. Leipzig, Germany: E.A. Seemann, 1978. Mentioned: p. 53,55; Reproduced: p. 190, pl. 76
    Lipman, Jean, and Richard Marshall. Art About Art. New York, NY: Dutton, 1978. Mentioned: p. 8; Reproduced: p. 9
    Tiziano e Venezia: convegno internazionale di studi, Venezia, 1976. 370 illustrazioni in nero e 16 a colori. Vicenza: N. Pozza, 1980. Reproduced: p. 234
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Catalogue of Paintings, Part 3: European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. Mentioned: p. 436-441; Reproduced: p. 437
    Museo del Prado, and Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya. De Tiziano a Bassano: maestros venecianos del Museo del Prado. Barcelona, Spain: Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, 1997. Reproduced: p. 128
  • Stories From Storage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 7-May 16, 2021).
  • {{cite web|title=Adoration of the Magi|url=false|author=Titian, Workshop|year=1500s|access-date=20 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1957.150