The Adoration of the Magi (Virgin of the Grotto)

Prints and Drawings

c. 1500

Workshop of Andrea Mantegna
Italian, 1431-1506

This unfinished engraving presents the Adoration of the Magi in a cave instead of its typical stable setting. The unusual cropping to a detail of Mantegna’s original painting alludes to the grotesque style of art that was popular at the time the print was made. The word “grotto” (or grotta in Italian) literally translates into “cave,” while the grotesque style was patterned on antique paintings found underground that featured images of bizarre creatures or people, intermingled with foliage, columns, and animals.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Prints and Drawings

Artist: Andrea Mantegna
Title: The Adoration of the Magi (Virgin of the Grotto)
Place: Italy (Artist's nationality:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1495–1505
Medium: Engraving on paper
Dimensions: 37.8 × 28 cm (14 15/16 × 11 1/16 in.)
Credit Line: Clarence Buckingham Collection
Reference Number: 1941.1049
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/43247/manifest.json

Bartsch XIII.233.9

Hind V.22.13

Borenius 10

Bartsch, illustrated 2506.008

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The Adoration of the Magi (Virgin of the Grotto)

Currently Off View

Date:

Artist:

About this artwork

Status

Department

Artist

Title

Place

Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Medium

Dimensions

Credit Line

Reference Number

IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.