Peter Paul Rubens - Adoration of the Magi

• Title: Adoration of the Magi
• Artist: Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)
• Date: c.1609-1629
• Medium: Oil on canvas
• Dimensions: 356 x 493 cm

Rubens was a Dutch painter who painted for the Catholic monarchs of France and Spain and his style was inspired by Caravaggio (light and dark) and Titian (rich and warm colors, strong bodies, and movement). He painted the subject of the Adoration of the Magi many times, probably because it offered him the chance to depict the richest worldly panoply- textiles, turbans, jewelry, and physical types of the subjects.

The overall mood of this “Adoration of the Magi” is one of respect and quid pro quo where people of different places are coming together with a common goal- to pay tribute to the newborn savior, symbolizing the humbling of the world before the Church. This atmosphere reflects the context of the painting which was commissioned in 1609 by the city of Antwerp for its city hall where the negotiations were held for truce in the war between Spain and the self-proclaimed Dutch Republic which had started in 1566 as a religious revolt and was taking a big toll on the Dutch economy. The painting ended up in the Royal Alcázar of Madrid where Rubens worked on it in 1629, including to add himself (the clear faced horseman on the right).