The Adoration of the Magi

About this artwork

Behold *The Adoration of the*, a captivating preparatory drawing by Bartolomé Estebanillo, one of Spain's foremost Baroque masters, created around 1650–1656. This intimate work on laid paper (28 x 23.1 cm) depicts the biblical scene of the Three Wise Men presenting gifts to the Christ Child, a timeless motif in Christian art symbolizing faith, kingship, and divine revelation. Murillo, based in Seville during the height of the Counter-Reformation infused his religious imagery with tender emotion and naturalistic warmth, distinguishing him from the more dramatic tenebrism of contemporaries like Velázquez. Crafted in pen and brown ink with brown wash over red and black chalk, the drawing showcases Murillo's masterful technique for modeling forms and evoking soft, luminous light—hallmarks of Baroque draftsmanship. These mixed-media studies were essential for planning larger paintings or altarpieces, revealing the artist's fluid linework and subtle tonal gradations that bring the holy family and Magi to life with humanity and grace. Housed in the National Gallery of Art through the Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, this rare survivor from Murillo's studio offers a window into 17th-century Spanish artistry, where devotion met innovation. Visitors will appreciate its delicate scale and spiritual depth, a testament to how drawings bridged the divine and the everyday.