Adoration of the Kings
This altarpiece is made
of enamelled terracotta and depicts the adoration of the Magi. It was made by
the renowned Italian Renaissance sculptor, Andrea Della Robbia,
in Florence and dates to around 1500-1510. The V&A’s database entry for
this piece notes that the coat of arms on the lower border indicates that it
was commissioned by the Albizzi family. It was most likely intended for an
altar at either S Michele or S Andrea at Rovezzano, both of which were
patronised by the Albizzi family at that time.
I’m always drawn to this piece for the simple, outlandish gaudiness of the colour scheme. I’m remarkably colour blind and loud colours don’t often resonate, but this thing just screams at me for attention (I can only imagine how gaudy it appears to modern viewers with full colour vision). I also have to admit that I have
something of a soft spot for the Magi. Quite apart from the fact that I
memorised the extra-Biblical names of the Magi (Balthasar of Arabia, Melchior
of Persia, and Gaspar of India) when I was quite young (it came in useful in a
Table Quiz once, so there!), I felt rather sorry for the ones we had in my
family’s Christmas crib. You could set the whole thing up with the rest of the decorations,
but not the Magi. They were only supposed to appear on the 5th of January, on
the last day of Christmas … and then the whole lot had to be packed away for
another year. It seemed rather unfair. I know they turned up late, but a few
hours in the spotlight before being put away for another 12 months didn’t sit
well with me. Here, on the other hand, the Magi got to be centre stage all year
round … no matter how gaudy the choice of colours!
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