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The Adoration of the Magi
Enameller:
Robillard, Julien
(Probably)
Frame maker:
Unidentified
Carved and gilt wood frame enclosing fifteen copper plaques enamelled in polychrome enamels over foil paillons, and gilt, including God the Father amid clouds, the Adoration of the Kings, two standing angels, Instruments of the Passion, and the symbols of the four Evangelists
Carved and gilt wood frame with scrolled edges set with fifteen (orginally seventeen) copper plaques, enamelled partly over foils in royal blue, pale and dark turquoise, pale green, greyish-green, bright pink, dark red, purple, buff, several shades of brown, black and white enamel, and profusely gilded. The counter enamel on the central plaque is thick and uneven dark brown; the reverses of the other plaques are not visible.
The central oval plaque is enamelled with the Adoration of the Magi taking place outside a building of which the door and an external archway above a wall are visible. Joseph stands on the left bending towards the Virgin who sits on the ground holding the Christ Child on her lap. One of the kings kneels before her, and the other two approach from behind him, the first carrying a casket and the next a column-shaped vase. In the foreground there is a covered vase, and standing dish with flames in its bowl. The sky is scattered with gold stars and at the top of the plaque there is a comet.
In the frame above there is a smaller horizontal convex oval plaque of God the Father surrounded by a gold background and pale purple cloud scrolls. He has outstretched arms and wears a red gown and a swirling blue drape. The details of his hair and beard are gold, and his garments and striated and dotted in gold. Above there are two small curved plaques decorated with gold stars on a black ground. On either side are circular plaques bearing the symbols of St Luke (angel) and St John (eagle) and below, attached to the top of the oval frame, on the right St Matthew (an ox). St Mark on the left (a lion) is missing.
In the frame below the Adoration plaque there is a small oval horizontal oval plaque with a chalice and instruments of the Passion, flanked by five-sided plaques decorated with gold stars on a black ground. There are four smaller similarly-decorated four-sided plaques below. Signed and dated on the reverse of the central plaque painted in gold.
History note: Unknown before Frank McClean MA, FRS, (1837-1904), Rusthall House, near Tunbridge Wells; bequathed by him
F. MacClean Bequest
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1904) by McClean, Frank
19th Century, second half
Circa
1850
CE
-
1880
CE
The visit of the three wise men or kings to adore the Infant Christ is described in St Matthew's Gospel, 2, 1-12. The figures are set in front of a ruined building, which was an indication of the break with the old covenant between God and the Children of Israel symbolized by the temple in Jerusalem, and the beginning of a new era initiated by the birth of the Messiah. The column was also a portent of Christ's future suffering before his Crucifixion. The angels standing on either side may have been inspired by the four angels bearing Instruments of the Passion, after drawings by Nicolo dell'Abate, which flank the central oval panels of the two retables made by Léonard Limosin for the Sainte Chapelle, and now in the Louvre. The date 1539 (or perhaps 1537) is inconsistent with the technique of enamelling in polychrome over paillons (silver foils) in a style which was fashionable in the late 16th and early 17th century. In that period, the initials I.R could have been those of either of two Jehan/Jean Reymonds, one who died in 1603 and another who died c. 1631-2. But the mismatched date, the very bright pink and turquoise enamels, and the treatment of the faces, suggest that the plaques were made in the mid to late 19th century. This was confirmed by ion beam analysis of the enamels in 2012. The frame is also likely to be a reproduction. Very few original gilded wood frames have survived from the sixteenth century, the most famous being for a portrait by Léonard Limosin of Anne de Montmorency, the Constable of France, now in the Louvre inv. no. N 1254). The initials IR coincide with those of Julien Robillard (1822-after 1886), who was born at Compiègne in 1822, and was recorded at the Manufacture Royale at Sèvres in 1845-6 as an aide-émailleur (assistant enameller), in the enamelling studio there established in 1845 and continuing until 1872. He sent up his own business in rue Montmorency, Paris, about 1850 and displayed enamels in Renaissance and other styles in exhibitions held in Dijon and Rouen in 1858, and in Paris during the 1860s. His address is given on an oval plaque decorated in polychrome with Mercury and Argus, signed ‘J.Robillard/rue Montmorency 44/PARIS’, now in the Hermitage, St Petersburg. He retired from business about 1875 and was succeeded by his son, Auguste Robillard. The last record of him exhibiting enamels was at Limoges in 1886.
Frame
composed of
gold
( or gold paint)
wood
Height 63.5 cm
Width 39 cm
Decoration
composed of
silver foil
( probably silver foil for the paillons)
enamel
gold
Plaques
composed of
copper
Central Plaque
Height 30.5 cm
Width 23.7 cm
Inscription present: rectangular white paper lable
Accession number: M.45-1904
Primary reference Number: 162103
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
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IIIF Manifest
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "The Adoration of the Magi" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/162103 Accessed: 2025-03-24 01:06:06
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/162103
|title=The Adoration of the Magi
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-03-24 01:06:06|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-162103
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<div class="text-center">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa20/M_45_1904_20_281_29.jpg"
alt="The Adoration of the Magi"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">The Adoration of the Magi</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
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