The Adoration of the Magi
1462
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1462
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Adoration of the Magi is a 1462 ink by Master E.S., a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This engraving shows a group of people gathered around a woman holding a baby. The scene looks like it’s inside a simple wooden building with a slanted roof. One man kneels, offering something wrapped, while others stand or crouch around them. The lines are sharp, and the faces look calm but focused. The background has a small town or landscape, drawn with careful detail. Notice how the artist used tiny parallel lines to create shadows and texture—this is called cross-hatching. It makes the clothes and faces look three-dimensional even though it’s just ink on paper. Next, look up cross-hatching to see how artists use it to build depth.
