Adoration of the Magi
by SCHIAVO, Paolo, Tempera and tooled gold on panel, 23 x 32 cm
This is one of the four panels in the Philadelphia museum which formed the predella to an altarpiece, of which the main panels are in the Staatliche Museen in Berlin. In the centre was the Annunciation; on the left, St Jerome; and on the right, St Lawrence.
Seated on a draped throne, the Virgin holds the infant Jesus, whose foot is being kissed by the oldest of the three kings. Next to the throne Joseph leans on his walking stick. The other two kings stand, carrying golden receptacles. They are dressed as contemporary young men and wear crowns over typically Florentine hats known as mazzocchi. On the right is a groom with two horses.