A Triptych: the central panel: The Adoration of the Magi; the wings: The Nativity; and The Flight into Egypt

The triptych derives from a composition established by the Antwerp master Jan van Dornicke, sometimes identified as the Master of 1518. The Adoration of the Magi was amongst the most popular and widespread iconographies for small-scale private triptychs painted in Antwerp during the early sixteenth century. The scenes included in the wings flanking this central subject would often be interchanged with other moments from the Infancy of Christ, from the Annunciation to the Presentation in the Temple, according to a patron’s preference. In this small triptych, these panels depict the Nativity and the Flight into Egypt. This latter subject was less familiar in Netherlandish paintings of the fifteenth century but became increasingly well-represented after the turn of the century.