The Adoration of the Magi
Medium
Engraving; second state of three
Dimensions
sheet: 7 13/16 x 5 3/4 in. (19.9 x 14.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951
Accession Number
51.501.4433
Tags
Art Historical Context
This engraving, *The Adoration of the Magi*, captures the biblical moment when the three wise men present gifts to the infant Jesus, a theme long celebrated in Christian art for its message of reverence and divine revelation. Created around 1585 by Dutch printmaker Hendrick Goltzius in collaboration with Italian artist Bernardino Passeri, the work reflects the vibrant exchange of ideas between Northern Europe and Italy during the late Renaissance. As an engraving—the second state of three—it demonstrates the meticulous technique of incising designs into metal plates, allowing for fine detail a...
About the Artist
Hendrick Goltzius|Bernardino Passeri · 1558–1617
Hendrick Goltzius (1558–1617) was the most celebrated engraver of the Northern Renaissance and a pivotal figure in Dutch Mannerism. Born near the German-Dutch border, Goltzius transformed printmaking into a virtuoso art form through his revolutionary 'swelling line' technique, where the burin was manipulated to create lines of varying thickness that produced unprecedented tonal effects and three-d...