The Adoration of the Magi,Magi was originally painted for the church of Santa Maria dei Servi in Perugia: this church no longer exists, as it was destroyed with the construction of the Rocca Paolina in 1540 after the Salt War. This fresco is the first real assignment Perugino got as an independent painter, probably on behalf of the Baglioni family, which at the time represented, in the person of Braccio, the hidden lordship of a city officially placed under the rule of the Pope. The theme of the Adoration of the Magi, which lends itself to the representation of a high status thanks to the presence of the three Kings, is usually chosen by clients who play an important role in the society in which they operate.

 

On the far left, the foreshortened character looking towards us is probably the young Perugino, proudly self-portraited in order to combine his role with a commission he considered prestigious. On a stylistic level, the work reflects the Tuscan suggestions the painter learned in Florence, frequenting the entourage of Andrea Verrocchio; some figurative types, such as the elegant and refined characters, will become usual in the compositions of the Umbrian artist, although in this painting, compared to the subsequent ones, their poses are less dynamic poses.

 

The work is preserved at the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria.