Unknown Maker, Netherlandish

This small panel was intended to be viewed in a private chapel or domestic setting. In it, the infant Jesus and his mother receive gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh from the three wise men as Joseph stands in the background. The artist skillfully depicted textiles that were traded and produced in Antwerp in the early 1500s. The story of the Magi was of particular interest to the merchant class, whose increasing wealth was tied to treasures from distant lands.