Aanbidding der koningen

The Virgin Mary sits at the right holding the infant Jesus, who inspects a bowl of gold coins offered by a kneeling king. Two other Magi in elaborate Eastern dress and turbans stand nearby, surrounded by a large retinue of soldiers and attendants under a massive, gnarled tree. The Star of Bethlehem is visible in the upper left sky, guiding a distant procession toward the scene.

The Magi were significant to Renaissance Neoplatonists like Marsilio Ficino, who viewed them as the archetypal 'pious magicians' whose astrological skill led them to divine truth. This work originates from the Haarlem Mannerist circle, which was heavily engaged with Hermetic and alchemical symbolism in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.