Adoration of the Magi
- Artist: Sebastiano Ricci
- Date: (circa) 1726
- Medium: oil on canvas 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 Sebastiano Ricci. Painted around 1726, it’s a lively late‑Baroque scene that captures the moment the three wise men present gifts to the infant Jesus. Ricci’s hand is unmistakable—his palette leans toward warm, luminous hues, and he balances dramatic lighting with a gentle, almost playful, compositional flow.
The work is an oil on canvas applied to a wooden panel, a technique that gives the surface a subtle depth; the texture of the canvas can be felt if you run your fingers along the edges, and the panel’s grain shows through in the subtle shadows. The figures are arranged in a tight grouping, with the Virgin at the center, her face turned in a serene, almost tender gaze. The Magi are rendered with distinct national costumes, hinting at Ricci’s interest in the exotic and the cosmopolitan.
Notice how Ricci layers the foreground and background, using a soft blue sky that pulls the eye toward the central triad. The gestures—hand over mouth, bowed heads—create a rhythmic dialogue that feels both reverent and approachable. The painting’s scale invites you to step inside the narrative, to feel the weight of devotion and the warmth of the gifts exchanged.
See it in person
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.
