Pesellino (Francesco di Stefano)
Italian, c. 1422–1457
King Melchior Sailing to the Holy Land
c. 1445–50
A small fleet accompanies one of the three kings who, according to Christian tradition, brought gifts to the infant Jesus. King Melchior sits enthroned in the stern of a sailing ship, his robes and crown decorated with gold leaf. A fifteenth-century hunting party and two monks appear in the foreground, perhaps to make this scriptural scene more relevant to a fifteenth-century audience. The image ends abruptly on the left side; the panel was cut down at some point after it was removed from its original location.
| Medium | tempera, oil, and gold on panel |
| Dimensions | 25 5/8 x 27 1/2 in. (65.1 x 69.8 cm) Frame: 35 3/8 x 37 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. (89.9 x 95.3 x 8.9 cm) |
| Object Number | 1955.940 |
| Acquisition | Acquired by Sterling and Francine Clark before 1955 |
| Status | On View |
Image Caption
Pesellino (Francesco di Stefano), King Melchior Sailing to the Holy Land, c. 1445–50, tempera, oil, and gold on panel. Clark Art Institute, 1955.940
Select Bibliography
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