Adoration of the Magi
c. 1519
Jan van Scorel was the first Dutch painter to backpack through Italy and bring back the 'cool new' Renaissance style, and you can see it clearly here. While the subject is the traditional Adoration of the Magi, the figures have a sculptural, Italian weight to them, especially the kings decked out in luxurious 16th-century velvets and armor rather than ancient robes. The background is a busy travelogue, featuring a caravan of camels and soldiers winding through a rocky landscape under a guiding star. It's a fascinating mashup where Northern European obsession with tiny details meets Italian grandeur.
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