Anbetung der Heiligen Drei Könige

Leonhard Beck was an Augsburg painter and woodcut designer who worked extensively for Emperor Maximilian I, contributing to the emperor's ambitious propaganda and commemorative publishing projects. Beck's Anbetung der Heiligen Drei Könige — Adoration of the Magi — dated around 1520 and held in the Bavarian State Painting Collections, reflects his move from printmaking toward large-format painting in the decade following Maximilian's death. The Augsburg tradition in which Beck worked was shaped by Holbein the Elder, Burgkmair, and Breu, and Beck's altarpiece production contributed to this culture's ecclesiastical and civic patronage programs.

Beck organizes the Adoration scene with the monumental figure style he developed through woodcut design, where large, legible forms were a practical necessity. The palette is warm and rich, appropriate for the Magi's exotic costumes and the gold they offer.