Adoration of the Magi

The composition is densely packed with figures, centered on the Virgin holding the radiant Christ Child while a kneeling elder king offers a vessel of coins. To the right, two other kings wait with ornate vessels, surrounded by a crowd of attendants in varied contemporary and exotic headwear. The scene is framed by classical ruins and a distant cityscape under the guidance of the Star of Bethlehem visible in the sky.

As part of Goltzius's 'Meisterstiche' (Masterpieces) series, this work intentionally emulates the style of Lucas van Leyden, reflecting the Mannerist preoccupation with artistic lineage and the 'transmutation' of style. Philosophically, the Magi represent the 'Prisca Theologia' or ancient wisdom of the East, whose astrological observations led them to recognize the arrival of the new Logos.