\paperw6900 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \f1 The Madonna is seated, with the Child on her lap, on a tall stone plinth with four steps. In front, the oldest of the Three Kings, who is k
neeling on the steps, gazes at the Child. The face of another king appears from behind him, surrounded by his retinue.\par
The crown that has fallen off the head of the first king lies on the lowest step. St. Joseph is standing inside the stable, with a
halo around his head, surveying the scene. The figures of the kingsÆ retinue are huddled at his back. The angels traditionally present in such representations are represented by the heads of two cherubim at the top of the painting.\par
In the immediate
foreground, the elbow of the Moorish king in a turban, who is seen from the back, seems to transgress the limits imposed by the picture. Further back on the right, the composition is completed by a page bearing a half-open casket filled with gold, who i
s also viewed from the back.\par
The scene has a typically Venetian diagonal structure, that is derived from the painting of Titian and Veronese. \par
The paintingÆs central nucleus, which is made up of the Madonna, the Child and the king, is characte
rized by the use of soft colors, for the flesh tones as well as the clothing, whose shades vary in relation to the effects of the light.\par
The pale yellow of the kingÆs cloak, which fades into white in places, contrasts nicely with the MadonnaÆs blue
mantle. The other figures are dressed in more brilliant colors, especially the Moorish king, whose exotic clothing is carefully depicted.\par
Tiepolo signed and dated the canvas, which was painted for the Benedictine church of Schwarzach, Germany, in 17
