The three kings or wise men bearing gifts pay homage to the new-born baby Jesus, accompanied by a colourful procession of attendants. The king at the centre in green and gold stripes may be a portrait of the original patron, the Venetian nobleman Jacopo Ghisi, from whom a down-payment is recorded in Bassano's account book in 1542. The painting demonstrates the artist's great skill in painting animals, for which he was famous. The ruined architecture is partly adapted from a woodcut by the great German artist Albrecht Dürer.
Credit: Purchased by the Royal Scottish Academy 1856; transferred to the National Gallery of Scotland 1910
Early 1540s
Oil on canvas
183.0 x 235.0cm
NG 100
Image and text © National Galleries of Scotland, 2024
Where you'll find this
Deepen your knowledge
Jacopo Bassano, The Adoration of the Kings, Early 1540s
Audio Described Tour | National
•
4:11