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The Adoration of the Magi

Early 16th century
Hieronymus Bosch (Netherlandish, c. 1450–1516)

Known for creating fantastic visions, Hieronymus Bosch was also a highly inventive painter of religious scenes. Here he took the traditional Christian subject of the Adoration of the Magi—kings from Africa, Asia, and Europe who arrived in Bethlehem bearing gifts for the Christ Child—and wove it into a meditation on gift giving and receiving. The exquisite gold-on-white patterning on the sleeve of the African king depicts the story from the Bible’s Old Testament of the Israelites receiving the gift of manna (food) from heaven after wandering in the desert for forty years.


Object Details

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