Jan Gossaert
The picture gives a claustrophobic impression with the figures crowded together and the viewer looking down from a slightly elevated position. The colours are bold, although the blue sky has faded to a dull grey. The technique is masterly, although the work was made very quickly, leaving an irregular ground with brushstrokes of the priming that remain visible through the paint layer, and visible underdrawing. The design principally draws inspiration from a c.1485-1500 "Adoration of the Magi" triptych by Hieronymus Bosch (Prado, Madrid), but also in parts from the c.1510-1515 "The Adoration of the Kings" by Jan Gossaert (National Gallery, London). Similar figures appear in Brueghel's "Adoration of the Magi in a Winter Landscape" (Oskar Reinhart Collection, Winterthur).