Artwork
The Adoration of the Magi
The Adoration of the Magi is an oil painting. It dates from 1735 and is held in the collection of the National Museum in Kraków. The work is an oil painting depicting a nocturnal gathering around a woman cradling an infant.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The central subject features the Christ Child and Mary receiving the three Biblical Magi, Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, who have come to present their gifts.
The artwork portrays the biblical episode of the Adoration of the Magi. The central subject features the Christ Child and Mary receiving the three Biblical Magi, Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, who have come to present their gifts. This iconography represents the recognition of the infant Jesus by the Gentile world and the manifestation of the divine to humanity, with the presented gifts symbolizing homage to Christ's kingship, divinity, and mortality.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on wooden panel, measuring 27.5 cm in height and 22.5 cm in width. It depicts the adoration of the Magi, showing the infant Christ Child with the Virgin Mary and the three Magi, Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, offering gifts. The composition reflects a religious genre typical of 18th‑century Central European art, rendered in a style attributed to an anonymous painter recorded in the National Museum in Kraków’s collection.
History & Provenance
Created in 1735, this painting is an oil on panel work by an anonymous artist. It depicts the adoration of the Magi and measures 27.5 by 22.5 cm. The work is cataloged as MNK XII-A-568 and is currently held in the collection of the National Museum in Kraków.
The anonymous 1735 oil painting titled The Adoration of the Magi is held in the collection of the National Museum in Kraków. The work is cataloged under the inventory number MNK XII-A-568. It is currently located at the museum in Kraków, where it remains part of the permanent holdings. No specific exhibition history is recorded in the provided sources.
Overview
The work is an oil painting depicting a nocturnal gathering around a woman cradling an infant. The central figure is clothed in blue and white, while surrounding men are adorned in richly colored robes and crowns. One participant holds a staff topped with a luminous element, and another kneels offering a boxed gift, all set against a dim, moonlit sky.
Context
The scene reflects a longstanding iconographic motif in Christian art, where the infant is honored by regal visitors bearing gifts. The inclusion of a staff with a glowing tip may reference contemporary symbolic objects associated with authority or divine illumination.
Artist & collection
- The Adoration of the Magi
The Adoration of the Magi
The Adoration of the Magi
Adoration of the Shepherds
Adoration of the Magi
Adoration of the Magi
Adoration of the Shepherds
The Adoration of the Magi
The Adoration of the Shepherds
The Adoration of the Shepherds
Adoration of the Magi (Matthew 2:10-11)
Adoration of the Shepherds