Adoration of the Kings
- Artist: Sandro Botticelli
- Date: about 1470
- Medium: egg tempera on wood
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the "Adoration of the Kings" painted by Sandro Botticelli. The shape and scale of this picture suggest that it was made as part of a piece of furniture, likely a triptych or a polyptych.
As you can see, the vast entourage of the kings is separated from the holy family by a wall with only a narrow opening. Two of the kings kneel in front of Christ; the one at the front is about to kiss his foot in homage. This was particularly important in Florence during this time period.
You might notice that Botticelli and Filippino worked together on this painting. The style of the figures in the central foreground, including a kneeling man and a slightly bowing figure rolling up his sleeve, is characteristic of Filippino's starker, more elongated style of figure painting.
Botticelli's influence can be seen in the large crowd to the left of the painting. This scene may have been inspired by the festive processions that took place during the Epiphany celebrations in Florence every five years. The event was organised by a religious confraternity dedicated to the Epiphany, which was sponsored by the wealthy Medici family.
This painting is dated around 1470 and was made using egg tempera on wood.
See it in person
Adoration of the Kings hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
