The Adoration of the Magi
- Artist: Lorenzo Monaco
- Date: c. 1409
- Medium: tempera on panel
- Museum: The Courtauld Gallery
- Collection record: The Courtauld Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is “The Adoration of the Magi” by Lorenzo Monaco. The panel, painted in tempera around 1409, shows the Virgin Mary still pregnant and then shortly after birth, a scene that is part of a larger narrative set of panels originally forming the base of an altarpiece. In this composition you can see the three kings kneeling before the infant Christ, each offering a fine gift, while the Virgin’s serene gaze anchors the composition.
Monaco’s technique is elegant: he deftly adapts his design to the shaped moulding of the panel, playing with its contours so the figures appear to spill slightly over the edges, creating a sense of depth and movement. The colors are rich but controlled, with subtle glazing that gives the flesh tones a luminous quality typical of early 15th‑century Italian painting.
The panel is one of only three surviving from the original set, the others depicting the Visitation and the birth. Although they were cut out and sold separately, you can still trace how Monaco planned the whole scheme, with each panel completing a narrative arc. The composition balances intimacy and ceremony; the kings’ majestic robes contrast with the modest domestic setting, drawing the eye to the newborn.
Overall, the work exemplifies Monaco’s graceful linework and his ability to convey theological narrative with emotional immediacy, making “The Adoration of the Magi” a compelling glimpse into early Italian panel painting.
See it in person
The Adoration of the Magi hangs in The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House, London. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
