Items Similar to The Three Magi

Puerto Rican Santos De Palo/Wood Sculptures of The Three Wise Men Afoot

Puerto Rican Santos De Palo/Wood Carved Sculptures of The Three Wise Men Afoot

Three Ancient Terracotta Sculptures, China Ming Period

Set of Three Hand Carved Figural African Polychromed Colonial Style Sculptures

Set Of Three Indian Folk Art Figures

Les Argonautes - Les 3 Amis, 1950-55 - ceramic, 30x36x5 cm

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 5

Peruvian, Ayacucho School
The Three Magi
ca. 1800

$28,500

£21,610.17

€24,953.86

CA$39,987.24

A$44,551.72

CHF 23,496.73

MX$540,117.69

NOK 298,912.28

SEK 278,455.72

DKK 186,382.31

About the Item

Provenance: Private Collection, Spain. Known as Peruvian alabaster for its translucency and workability, Piedra de Huamanga is a highly prized material from the province of Ayacucho in Peru. In the 17th and 18th centuries, local craftsman in the town of Huamanga began to specialize in the production of small-scale, polychrome religious sculptures made from this distinctive stone. Huamanga sculptures are among the most accomplished examples of carving from the Spanish Americas, where polychrome wood sculpture was a far more common sculptural medium. These works, which were created as independent sculptures or as sculptural groups—such as our three Magi—were intended for ecclesiastical as well as domestics settings. Our three figures likely formed part of a larger Nativity group—a New World variant of the tradition of the Neapolitan Crèche. Melchior, Balthasar, and Caspar each carry their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, as specified in the Gospel of Matthew. But the lands from which they traveled and the animals which brought them to Bethlehem are not identified in the Bible. Here the anonymous artist of our figurines has followed a popular tradition that became current in the Renaissance, in which the eldest of the three kings, Melchior, was thought to be from East Asia; the middle magus, Caspar, from Arabia; and the youngest, Balthasar, from Africa. They travel on appropriate modes of transportation: a horse for Melchior, a camel for Caspar, and an elephant for Balthasar, slow as it might make the journey. The natural warm white color of the stone is retained for the three animals and for the skin of the Magi, save for Balthasar whose face, arms, and hands have been delicately painted. With the exuberantly colored robes and hats worn by the Magi, these figures are charming celebrations of the Feast of the Epiphany.

Creator:
Peruvian, Ayacucho School (Peruvian)
Creation Year:
ca. 1800
Dimensions:
Height: 7.5 in (19.05 cm)Width: 6.5 in (16.51 cm)
Medium:
Alabaster
Period:
Late 18th Century
Condition:
Gallery Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU10212238202

More From This Seller

View All

Cuzco School Baptismal Dish

By Spanish Colonial (Peruvian)

Located in New York, NY

Provenance: Manuel Ortíz de Zevallos y García, Peru; and by descent in the family to: Private Collection, New York. This impressive baptismal dish is an example of eighteenth-cent...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Sculptures

Materials

Silver

Spanish Colonial (Peruvian)
Cuzco School Baptismal Dish, 18th Century

$23,000

Saint Martin de Porres

Located in New York, NY

Provenance: Private Collection, New York, until 2022. Martín de Porres was born in Lima in 1579, the illegitimate son of a Spanish-American father, J...

Category

Late 18th Century Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Peruvian School, 18th - 19th Century
Saint Martin de Porres

$17,250

Silver and Transitional Andean Textile Casket

By Spanish Colonial (Peruvian)

Located in New York, NY

Silver was the material of choice for both ecclesiastical and domestic vessels in the New World, not only for its status as a precious metal, but also because of its abundance and du...

Category

Early 18th Century Sculptures

Materials

Silver

Spanish Colonial (Peruvian)
Silver and Transitional Andean Textile Casket, ca. 17th/18th Century

$76,000

Moroccan, Fez or Meknes: Tall bowl (Jobbana) with geometric designs

Located in New York, NY

Provenance: Collection of Emily Johnston De Forest and Robert Weeks De Forest, New York, by 1911-until 1942; thence by descent until 2018. Literature: ...

Category

1810s Sculptures

Materials

Earthenware, Tin Glaze

Moroccan, Fez or Meknes: Tall bowl (Jobbana) with geometric designs

$5,750

Three Angels

By Domenico Piola the Elder

Located in New York, NY

Provenance: Robert L. and Bertina Suida Manning, New York, until 1996 Private Collection, USA One of the leading artists in Genoa during the second half of the seventeenth century, Domenico Piola came from a successful family of artists, renowned for their many illusionistic ceiling programs throughout Genoese churches and palaces. A prolific draughtsman and painter, Domenico oversaw an extremely productive studio. In addition to his collaborations with numerous other artists, Domenico also provided many designs for book illustrations and prints that circulated throughout Europe, earning him international exposure and high acclaim in his own day. As Dr. Anna Orlando has indicated (written communication), the present work is an early work by Piola, datable from the late 1640s. At this time the young artist came strongly under the influence of Castiglione and Valerio Castello, while admiring the works of Giulio Cesare Procaccini. Piola’s works from this period are exuberant and fluid, and the artist’s love of portraying children is evident from the angels and putti that populate both his altarpieces and more intimate paintings. The present work depicts three angels...

Category

17th Century Baroque Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Domenico Piola the Elder
Three Angels

$26,000

Portrait of Ni-Polog

Located in New York, NY

Category

1930s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

Malvina Hoffman
Portrait of Ni-Polog, 1932

$28,750

Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Puerto Rican Santos De Palo/Wood Sculptures of The Three Wise Men Afoot

$3,800

Puerto Rican Santos De Palo/Wood Carved Sculptures of The Three Wise Men Afoot

Located in Guaynabo, PR

A renowned tradition in Puerto Rico is the making of Santos de Palms by Masters Carvers since the 19th century. They hand carved and painted the saints inspired in their personal rel...

Category

Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Puerto Rican Santos De Palo/Wood Carved Sculptures of The Three Wise Men Afoot

$3,500

Three Ancient Terracotta Sculptures, China Ming Period

Located in Roma, IT

This Chinese terracotta group of figures is made up of three figures of Chinese dignitaries in glazed green and ocher terracotta on hexagonal bases and removable heads. From the d...

Category

Antique 16th Century Chinese Sculptures and Carvings

Materials

Terracotta

Three Ancient Terracotta Sculptures, China Ming Period

$10,456 / set

Set of Three Hand Carved Figural African Polychromed Colonial Style Sculptures

Located in San Diego, CA

Set of three hand carved figural African polychromed colonial style sculptures, circa 1970s. The set is in good vintage condition and each figure measures approximately 3" W x 3"D x ...

Category

Mid-20th Century African Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Set of Three Hand Carved Figural African Polychromed Colonial Style Sculptures

$380 Sale Price / set

20% Off

Set Of Three Indian Folk Art Figures

Located in Asheville, NC

Set of three Indian figures vividly painted. They appear to be kneeling in prayer two have their hair in buns and the third wears a crown. It is likely that the third blue figure is ...

Category

20th Century Indian Folk Art Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Set Of Three Indian Folk Art Figures

$1,800 / set

Les 3 Amis, 1950-55 - ceramic, 30x36x5 cm

By Les Argonautes

Located in Nice, FR

Ceramic from Vallauris Workshop "Les Argonautes", Vallauris: Isabelle Ferlay (1917-?) And Frédérique Bourguet (1925-1997) Isabelle Ferlay and Frédérique Bourguet founded their ceramic workshop in Vallauris in 1953, which they named "Les Argonautes", in reference to the famous Greek epic. Isabelle studied painting at the Fine Arts school of Lyon in 1940, then she attended the Fine Arts in Marseille. Finally, she finished her artistic training in Montpellier, at the Fontcarade national school, where she learned ceramics. Françoise dit Frédérique Bourguet studied at the Beaux-Arts in Montpellier until 1945 and it was in Sèvres, in Françoise Bizette's studio, that she trained in the art of ceramics. She created her first workshop in Paris in 1945, which she shared with Valentine Schlegel until 1951. The two women ceramicists then practiced modeling technique. It was in 1953 that she met Isabelle Ferlay and together, they decided to set up a workshop in Vallauris. They produce shaped pieces, sometimes molded, made of earthenware, enamelled in bright colors. In the 1970s they made stoneware cooked over a wood fire. Some ceramists frequented their workshop, notably the very talented Jacques Innocenti and François Raty.

Category