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- The “Adoration of the Magi” would most likely have been placed in the nave walls of St. Mary’s Church, Boston in close proximity to the “Nativity” panel. The windows are made entirely of antique mouth blown glass. The figures are enclosed with an architectural border. Green plates with stippled grass and foliage roughly suggest the background. The Virgin is seated on the right and looks down upon a frontal Christ who holds a blue sphere topped with a silver stained cross. She differs completely in facial type and technique from the Virgin in the “Nativity” panel. The Virgin’s hair flows from under her head covering down her back. She is not clad in her signature blue, but rather a cloak of the same sea green as the higher angels’ gowns in the Nativity panel. Joseph’s profile peers from the right border. In the foreground, one of the three wise men presents an opened box of gold to the child savoir. His companions, bearing frankincense and myrrh, stand behind him. The swinging frankincense is placed in the center foreground and puffs of incense abound. A rose, symbolizing the Virgin’s chastity, and a scepterlike motif are placed on the ground of the composition. Silver staining is evident in the framework, halos, yellow drapery details, and wiseman’s box. The piece’s painterliness, atmospheric effects (evident in the prominent incense clouds, and expert silver staining technique all designate it as a prime stylistic example of the Mayer style.
Erin Hazard
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