Adoration of the Magi
17th century
Medium
Pen and brown ink and brown wash. Traces of framing line in black chalk.
Dimensions
2 15/16 x 4 11/16 in. (7.4 x 11.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Cornelius Vanderbilt, 1880
Accession Number
80.3.450
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints collection, this 17th-century Dutch drawing, *Adoration of the Magi captures a timeless biblical scene: the three wise men presenting gifts to the infant Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Created anonymously during the Dutch Golden Age—a period of artistic flourishing despite Protestant restraint on religious imagery—this small work (just under 3 by 5 inches) exemplifies the intimate, preparatory sketches favored by artists of the era. Gifted to the Met in 1880 by Cornelius Vanderbilt, it reflects the era's collecting passion for Old Maste...