Embroidered Picture (Italy), 16th century (CH 18402919-2)

Panel, almost square, of elaborate embroidery in silk and gold on ground of dark green satin. Central oval with embroidered pictorial representation of the "Adoration of the Christ Child," white background, figures in light colors and metal (worn center and upper right). Elaborate enframement of embroidered design in gold and colored silks. Strapwork pattern combined with flowers, fruit, birds, winged heads of cherubs, and sphinxes in profile. In each corner, an angelic figure, winged, bearing in right hand, a flower, in left, a censer. An embroidered frame in gold may be a later date.

The Adoration of the Christ, also known as the Adoration of the Christ Child, is a subject in Christian art that depicts the presentation of the baby Jesus to the Magi (also known as the Three Wise Men). The Adoration of the Christ is based on the account in the Gospel of Matthew (2:1-12), where the Magi, guided by a star, travel to Bethlehem to worship the new-born King of the Jews. In artistic depictions, the scene often shows the Magi presenting gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus, while Mary and Joseph look on. The Adoration of the Christ is a celebration of the birth of Jesus and of the arrival of the first Gentile (non-Jewish) visitors to acknowledge him as the Messiah. The image is a symbol of the universality of the gospel message and of the idea that people of all nations are invited to worship Jesus as Lord.