Jan Brueghel the Elder - The Adoration of the Kings [1598]

Jan Brueghel the Elder - The Adoration of the Kings [1598], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

This painting is a display of minute observation, from a woman with a baby conversing with a man on horseback at the left, to the still life of carpenter's tools in the lower right. The black king and his elaborate boat-shaped container are inspired by the work of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, the artist's father. Artists' drawings and templates for paintings were often handed down from father to son. This is one of the earliest of a series of similar compositions by Jan Brueghel the Elder.

[Bodycolour on vellum, 32.9 x 48 cm]