Material Pencil, ink and wash on laid paper
Dimensions 26.3 × 16.7 cm
Price Available upon inquiry
Status Vetted

About the Work

This depiction of the Adoration of the Magi was executed by Mariano Salvador Maella as a model for interpretation by the engraver Joaquín Ballester (1740–1808). It was intended for inclusion in a service book published by Francisco Manuel de Mena in 1776.

At the centre of the composition one finds the Virgin Mary, with her face gently inclined to the left and encircled by a halo. She holds the Christ Child seated upon her lap, his right arm raised. Saint Joseph appears directly behind them, staff in hand and likewise crowned with a halo. The Three Wise Men surround the Holy Family, presenting their gifts to the newly born Child.

In the background, a classical architectural structure can be discerned, while a pair of cherubs observe the scene from above. In the upper left of the composition, a star shines upon the Holy Family, as if illuminating the scene.

In this work, the Valencian artist experiments with ink, repeatedly reworking and refining the compositional lines. It is evident that this drawing served as a preliminary study, from which Maella likely developed several subsequent versions.

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Provenance

Madrid, collection of Cesáreo Aragón y Berroeta, Marquis of Casa Torres (until 1954); Madrid, private collection

Literature

Núñez 2000, p. 283 (as Zacarías González Velázquez); de la Mano 2011, cat. VIII.13, pp. 746, 747 (as Maella)

View artwork at TEFAF Maastricht 2026

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