Raffaello, adorazione dei magi, da pala oddi, 1502-03

The scene shows the Magi paying homage to the Christ Child beneath a simple wooden structure built against a ruined stone wall. A large group of attendants, horses, and a black dog occupy the left side of the panel, set against a distant landscape under a pale blue sky. This work is a portion of the predella from the Oddi Altarpiece, showing the balanced composition characteristic of the artist's early period.

In the Western esoteric tradition, the Magi are interpreted as the archetypal priest-astrologers or practitioners of natural magic who used celestial observation to find the divine. Their inclusion represents the reconciliation of ancient 'star wisdom' and Hermetic knowledge with the Christian revelation.