L’Adoration des Mages

Before a stable in which a cow can be made out, the Virgin holds the infant Jesus in her arms, encircled by a golden halo; behind her stands a shepherd with his crook, while to the right a group of men in oriental dress press forward with a horse and a dromedary, the three Magi prostrating themselves before the newborn to lay down precious gifts. Painted in 1856, this small panel is, according to a letter from the artist’s brother Frédéric, very likely the last painting Théodore Chassériau completed: he died on 8 October of that year, aged thirty-six, and an Adoration of the Shepherds (private collection), finished just before, is considered its pendant. Chassériau, the great pupil of Ingres who fell under the spell of Delacroix’s colour, was one of the most gifted French painters of his generation. The panel comes from the Dutuit collection and is held in the Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris.