Adoration of the Magi
c. 1590
Medium
Engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 21.4 × 16.1 cm (8 7/16 × 6 3/8 in.); sheet: 24.6 × 16.6 cm (9 11/16 × 6 9/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
268074
Art Historical Context
Step into the luminous world of Aegidiuseler II's *Adoration of the Magi* (c. 1590), a exquisite engraving that captures one of Christianity's most cherished scenes: the Three Wise Men gifts to the infant Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Created by the Flemish master engraver from the renowned Sadeler family, this print reflects the intricate Mannerist style popular in late 16th-century Europe, its elegant figures, dramatic poses, and rich details evoking a sense of divine reverence and opulence. Sadeler, who worked at the imperial court of Rudolf II in Prague, was celebrated for his reproductive eng...
About the Artist
Aegidius Sadeler, II · 1570–1629
Aegidius Sadeler II was born in Antwerp around 1570 into the most distinguished printmaking dynasty of the sixteenth century. The Sadeler family — spanning Jan I, Raphael, and Aegidius I — dominated the European print trade from their Flemish base, and Aegidius II was trained by his uncle Jan Sadeler I, under whom he was listed as a pupil in the records of the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke in 1585. He...