Lot 2001 Nα

This panel has been published many times and was included in the important 1994 Stefan Lochner exhibition in Cologne. The piece originally formed part of a triptych, probably intended for a church in Cologne. Further panels from the altarpiece can be found, among other places, in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum in Cologne, and the Museum Wiesbaden. The outer faces originally featured 12 panels with depictions of the Apostles whilst the inner faces had panels with scenes from the Life of Christ before (on the left) and after (on the right) His Passion. The present panel would thus have been located on the inner left face of the altarpiece.
The piece depicts the Adoration of the Magi against an imposing gold backdrop. The Virgin Mary is seated in front of a thatched stable with the Christ Child in Her lap; both figures' heads are encompassed by large gold haloes. The eldest of the three kings is shown kneeling in adoration before the Child. He wears an ermine-lined brocade cloak whilst the other two kings, shown standing to the right of the Virgin, wear comparatively more simple robes. Saint Joseph appears as a somewhat humble figure, partially concealed on the left edge of the image. The vivid red and green tones of the robes of two of the kings and the blue of the Virgin's cloak stand out boldly against the radiant gold of the background. Two of the gifts brought by the kings are arranged in a kind of still life on the lower edge of the panel, with one placed upon a richly adorned casket, alongside the crown-like headdress of the eldest king. Bright white accents lend the painted jewels a striking trompe l'oeil effect.
The panel displays strong stylistic proximity to the works of Stefan Lochner, to whose school this panel and the others from the same altarpiece were initially attributed. Alfred Stange ascribed the altarpiece to the Master of the Heisterbach Altar in 1967. However, in 1972 Goldberg/Scheffler introduced the idea of an independent artist active in Cologne in the mid-15th century with no direct link to the studios of either Stefan Lochner or the Master of the Heisterbach Altar, but nevertheless showing a close relationship to their works.