The Adoration of the Kings

The infant Christ sits on the lap of his mother, the Virgin Mary, while the three kings present him with gifts. It is striking that the figures are shown crowded together and in fairly stiff, static poses. Ter Brugghen’s style was old-fashioned by the standards of his time:
the bright palette recalls Mannerism. The realism, especially in the Child’s face, brings to mind the work of the Italian pai…