The Adoration of the Magi

Rembrandt's 1632 Adoration of the Magi dates from the very beginning of his Amsterdam period, when he was rapidly outpacing his Leiden contemporaries in ambition and scale. The scene of the three kings presenting gifts to the infant Christ was one of the most painted subjects in European art, and Rembrandt engaged with it several times in different formats. The 1632 version shows his early absorption of Rubens-derived Flemish dramatism before his palette darkened and his compositions grew more intimate. It exemplifies his ability at this stage to orchestrate large groups of figures around a central source of light.

A strong diagonal of light from the upper left illuminates the Virgin and Child at the centre while the peripheral figures — soldiers, attendants, the Magi — recede into warm shadow. Rembrandt's paint handling is already bold, with thick impasto on lit surfaces and transparent glazes in the shadows.