UNKNOWN MASTER, Flemish
(last quarter of the 15th century)

Triptych The Adoration of the Magi

1475-1500
Oil on wood, 29 x 39 cm
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Saint-Omer

The artist of the triptych is referred to as the Master of the Khanenko Adoration.

Throughout the 15th century - a century of perpetual innovation - the great creative figures of Flemish painting were surrounded by many "minor" artists. These lesser-known painters have often been treated with condescension, merely because they happened to be overshadowed by the major creators. But many of them are no less remarkable on that account. Some of the finest work was also produced by anonymous hands, painters such as the Master of the Legend of St Ursula, and the Master of the Adoration of Khanenko. In their day, these painters were widely celebrated for their achievements.