# Adoration of the Magi [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [GIOVANNI DI PAOLO]() - Date: 1451-1500 - Technique: Tempera and gold on wood panel, 38 x 44 cm ## Commentary According to the Gospel of Matthew, three Magi, guided by a star, found the newborn Christ and laid gifts before him. Artists throughout the 15th century elaborated considerably upon this biblical account, devoting particular attention to the Magi's entourage, which gave them an opportunity to depict the splendor of contemporary aristocratic life. Here, the Magi solemnly honor the divine child in the Virgin's arms, while their bustling retinue of courtiers and animals provides an exuberant visual diversion. Giovanni di Paolo was one of the leading painters in 15th-century Siena, noted both for his manuscript illuminations and painted panels supplied to the city's churches. ## Related artworks - [A Miracle by St Nicholas of Tolentino]() - [Antiphonary]() - [Antiphonary]() - [Antiphonary]() - [Antiphonary]() - [Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane]() - [Coronation of the Virgin]() - [Crucifixion \(detail\)]() - [Crucifixion \(detail\)]() - [Crucifixion]() - [Dante: Divina Commedia]() - [Dante: Divina Commedia]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()