The ''Adoration of the Magi'' is a 1624 oil on canvas painting by

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradi ...

, measuring 218 cm by 280 cm. It was commissioned by Matthæus Yrsselius,

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The ...

St. Michael's Abbey, Antwerp St Michael's Abbey in Antwerp was a Premonstratensian abbey founded in 1124 by Norbert of Xanten and laid waste during the French Revolutionary Wars. In 1807 a semaphore station was installed in the tower of the church. The buildings were demolis ...

, as an altarpiece, and paid for in two instalments of 750 guilders each in 1624 and 1626. The Virgin Mary is thought to have been modelled on Rubens' first wife

Isabella Brant Isabella Brant (or Brandt; 1591 – 15 July 1626) was the first wife of the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens, who painted several portraits of her. Family She was the eldest daughter of Jan Brant, an important city official in Antwerp, and ...

. The painting is now in the

Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp ( Dutch: ''Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen'', ''KMSKA'') is a museum in Antwerp, Belgium, founded in 1810, that houses a collection of paintings, sculptures and drawings from the fourteenth ...

In popular culture

The painting is an important story arc in the comic book album ''"De Raap van Rubens"'' ("Rubens' apprentice") (1977) in the Belgian comic book series ''

Suske en Wiske Suske (English: Willy, Luke, Bob, Spike) is one of the main characters in the popular Belgian comic strip ''Suske en Wiske'' by Willy Vandersteen. He is the boy of the duo. History When Willy Vandersteen created his first adventure story with t ...

''. The characters visit it in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Later the man in the red cloak on the painting comes alive and steals a necklace from

Lambik Lambik is a Flemish comic book character from the Belgian comic strip series '' Spike and Suzy'' by Willy Vandersteen. In the English translations he is known as ''Orville'' or ''Ambrose''. Lambik is the breakout character of the franchise and ...

. In order to find out why the man does this Lambik travels back in time, to the era of

References

Bibliography

*Ricart, Joan (coord.) (2008). ''Rubens.'' Barcelona:Sol 90. . 1624 paintings Paintings by Peter Paul Rubens Rubens Paintings in the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Camels in art Cattle in art {{17C-painting-stub

In popular culture

See also

References

Bibliography