European school. Follows Renaissance models

European school, 19th century. Follows Renaissance models (Flemish school, 16th century).
"Adoration of the Magi".
Triptych. Oil on panel.
Provenance: private collection. It was bought from an antique dealer in Madrid.
Measurements: 95 x 129 cm (total open); 95 x 65 cm (central panel); and 95 x 32 cm (side panels).

This is a triptych from the nineteenth-century period, but based directly on Renaissance models, especially Flemish. The main reference that the painter took into account could be the triptych of the Magi by Joos van Cleve, where in a similar way King Melchior prostrates himself before the Holy Family in the central panel, while Balthasar and Gaspar occupy the side panels. Van Cleve carried out several versions (preserved, among other museums, in the Capodimonte in Naples, in the Detroit Institute of Art and in the Museo de las Descalzas Reales in Madrid). In the triptych that concerns us, the distribution of space is complex, glimpsing crowds of people moving in the background of the central painting, circulating under the arches of the city. On the sides, the moss-covered Roman remains are a motif that, however, brings this work closer to the Italian school. In fact, the richness of this triptych lies in the fact that it blends, with great stylistic skill and compositional audacity, traditions from the Florentine Quattrocento, the Roman Cinquecento, Flemish primitivism and the later Antwerp school. Flemish preciosity palpitates in every detail, as well as the taste for the anecdotal and for capturing the sumptuousness of gold brocade fabrics, bronze offerings and jewels. Subtle shades of cerulean and indigo are superimposed to intuitively and suggestively indicate an idea of remoteness and atmosphere. During the 15th century, the miniaturist style of the Netherlands had a strong influence abroad, especially in Italy, and in the following century the Italian Renaissance spread to Antwerp. This wealth of exchanges has been masterfully captured on our canvas. Thus, we can affirm that the legacy of masters such as Jan Gossaert, Bernard Van Orley and Jacopo de Barbari, as well as the aforementioned Van Cleeve, is collected and reinterpreted from the perspective of the 19th century.