Adoration of the Magi.

Jordaens's Adoration of the Magi from 1617 belongs to the early phase of his career, painted when the young artist was establishing himself in Antwerp in the shadow of Rubens and influenced by Caravaggesque naturalism transmitted through the Utrecht school. The Magi — Balthasar, Caspar, and Melchior — approaching the infant Christ with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were a beloved subject for large altarpiece compositions that allowed painters to display their command of multi-figure arrangements, exotic costumes, and crowd psychology. Jordaens returned to this subject multiple times across his career. The undisclosed collection holding suggests this early version may be in private hands. The 1617 Adoration predates Jordaens's mature style, showing him working within the conventions he had absorbed from guild training while developing the bold directness that would distinguish his later work.

The early date means Jordaens's handling still shows the tight, careful finish of a recently trained painter, before his brushwork achieved the fluent confidence of his mature period. The Caravaggesque influence — strong chiaroscuro, figures pressed close to the picture plane, domestic naturalism — is already present in the treatment of the crowd around the manger. The three kings' distinctive costumes provide opportunities for exotic material description.