Adoration of the Magi

Art Historical Context

This small oil painting on an oak panel captures the timeless biblical scene of the Adoration of the Magi, in which the three kings offer gifts to the infant Christ and the Virgin Mary. Created by an imitator of an Antwerp Mannerist painter, probably in the seventeenth century, the work echoes the elegant, decorative style of early sixteenth-century Netherlandish art. Antwerp Mannerists were celebrated for their graceful figures, elaborate costumes, and richly detailed compositions that brought a sense of courtly splendor to sacred stories. Measuring just over nine inches high with an arched ...