Religious Triptych – Lochner & Van Eyck – Adoration Of The Magi – England – 19th Century

Rare Neo-Gothic portable triptych – Stephan Lochner and Jan van Eyck

Rare portable triptych with religious motifs, consisting of three hinged panels set in large, blackened wooden frames with Neo-Gothic decoration.

The central panel depicts The Adoration of the Magi, based on the famous altarpiece by Stephan Lochner, housed in Cologne Cathedral. The Virgin, seated in the center and clad in a flowing blue cloak, presents the Infant Jesus, surrounded by the Three Wise Men, clergy, dignitaries, and numerous figures. The composition is distinguished by the richness of the costumes, fabrics, attributes, and banners, set against a remarkable gilded background beneath finely ornamented Gothic architecture.

The outer panels

The left outer panel depicts Saint Ursula and the Virgins, after Stephan Lochner. Saint Ursula, recognizable by her halo, appears in the foreground at the head of her large retinue of young women and religious figures. The scene is dominated by a large banner and forms part of a particularly dense composition, featuring refined costumes and details.

The right outer panel depicts Saint Geräon and the Warriors, also based on a work by Stephan Lochner. The saint, depicted as a knight in armor, is placed in the foreground and accompanied by several warriors and armed figures. The banners, armor, and costumes lend this scene its dual religious and military character.

The inner sides of the panels

The two inner sides depict The Annunciation, based on Jan van Eyck’s famous composition housed in St. Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent.

On the left, the Virgin Mary, surrounded by a halo, is depicted in a medieval interior at her lectern, with an open book before her. The setting includes drapery, wooden furniture, and a vase containing white flowers.

On the right, the Archangel Gabriel, recognizable by his large wings, is kneeling before the Virgin. He holds a book and a long attribute, set within an interior scene featuring the same architectural and textile elements.

The compositions are executed as chromolithographs, based on works by the great masters of early Flemish and Germanic painting, and are mounted here in a remarkable blackened wooden frame.

The set constitutes a particularly decorative testament to the historicist and Neo-Gothic tastes of the 19th century, reflecting the interest of that era in the masterpieces of medieval painting and the Flemish Primitives.

School: English
Period: second half of the 19th century
Style: Neo-Gothic, historicist
Technique: chromolithographs
Based on works by: Stephan Lochner and Jan van Eyck
Chromolithographs: C. Schultz
Frame: blackened, molded, and carved wood
Type: portable hinged triptych
Subjects: The Adoration of the Magi; Saint Ursula and the Virgins; Saint Geräon and the Warriors; The Annunciation