Roundel with Adoration of the Magi
ca. 1535–45
Medium
Colorless glass, silver stain, vitreous paint
Dimensions
13 1/4 × 1/4 in. (33.7 × 0.6 cm)
Classification
Glass-Stained
Culture
German
Department
The Cloisters
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Cloisters Collection, 1932
Accession Number
32.24.69
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the serene galleries of The Cloisters, this exquisite *Roundel with Adoration of the Magi by German artist Heinrich Aldegreverca. 1535–45) captures a timeless biblical moment. The circular panel depicts the Virgin Mary and Christ Child receiving gifts from the three wise men, a scene rich in Christian iconography symbolizing the revelation of Jesus to the Gentiles. Aldegrever, a master engraver from the Northern Renaissance and part of the "Little Masters group, likely designed this for domestic or ecclesiastical settings, where such roundels adorned windows to filter divine light. ...
About the Artist
Heinrich Aldegrever · 1502–1561
Heinrich Aldegrever, born in 1502 in Paderborn, Westphalia, to parents Herman and Katherine Trippenmeker—a family of clog-makers known by the dialect name Trippenmecker—emerged as a multifaceted artist in the German Renaissance. His early training remains undocumented, though he likely apprenticed in a Soest goldsmith's workshop after relocating there around 1525, where he joined the painters' gui...