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National Gallery presents Peter Bruegel the Elder The Adoration of the Kings

The National Gallery in London presents Peter Bruegel the Elder – The Adoration of the Kings on Monday 23 December, 1–1.45pm in the Sainsbury Wing Theatre.

The Adoration of the Kings 1564, Pieter Bruegel the Elder
The Adoration of the Kings
1564, Pieter Bruegel the Elder
The Christmas subject in art is steeped in tradition but Bruegel eschews the usual conventions, introducing gawping soldiers, whispering gossips and scary Magi. This lecture explores the historical and social context of this remarkable picture.

In this unusual rendering of the Adoration, the Three Kings presenting their gifts are treated as caricatures and the Virgin is not idealised. The work is composed from a high viewpoint, focusing attention on the Infant Christ on his mother’s lap, at the exact centre of the picture. People crowd around them and there is little sense of depth or space. The elongated figures of the Kings are characteristic of a painting style that was fashionable around this time.

A figure on the extreme right wears spectacles. His presence may indicate that those around Christ are blind to his significance; Bruegel has used spectacles on other occasions to signify in an ironic manner the inability of the subject to see the truth. Most of the figures, in fact, appear to be gently mocked by the artist.

Pieter Bruegel became famous for his painted landscapes, and for his interiors on themes traditionally associated with engravings and manuscript illuminations which, like his Biblical narratives, are crowded with anecdotal detail.

The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN +44 (0)20 7747 2885