''The Adoration of the Magi'' is a 1619

Baroque painting Baroque painting is the painting associated with the Baroque cultural movement. The movement is often identified with Absolutism, the Counter Reformation and Catholic Revival,Diego Velázquez Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (baptized June 6, 1599August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain and Portugal, and of the Spanish Golden Age. He was an individualistic artist of th ...

now held in the

Museo del Prado The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the ...

. It shows three kings presenting gifts to the Christ child: Melchior, who kneels in the foreground; Balthazar, who stands behind him wearing a red cape and a lace collar; and Caspar, who appears between the other two.Carr et al. 2006, p. 136. An unidentified young man who stands behind Balthazar is looking on. Kneeling near the Virgin's left shoulder is

Saint Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers of ...

. The size and format of the painting indicate that it was made for an altarpiece.

Carl Justi Carl Justi (2 August 1832, in Marburg – 9 December 1912, in Bonn) was a German art historian, who practised a biographical approach to art history. Professor of art history at the University of Bonn, he wrote three major critical biographies ...

praised ''Adoration of the Magi'' as being "distinguished by great power of colouring and

chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...

History

The earliest record of this painting is from about 1764, when it was in the

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

Novitiate of San Luis, Seville.

References

*Carr, D. W., Bray, X., & Velázquez, D. (2006). ''Velázquez''. London: National Gallery.

External links

''Velázquez ''
exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on ''Adoration of the Magi'' (see index) {{DEFAULTSORT:Adoration Of The Magi (Velazquez) 1619 paintings Religious paintings by Diego Velázquez Seville-period paintings by Diego Velázquez Paintings by Diego Velázquez in the Museo del Prado Velázquez Paintings by Diego Velázquez