Adoration of the Magi, by Sandro Botticelli
The adoration of the Magi was one of the most popular subjects in 15th-century Florence because of the active membership of the Company of the Magi, a lay confraternity whose responsibilities included planning the Feast of the Magi. The Feast was observed on Epiphany (January 6) and celebrated the story of the arrival of the gentile wise men who traveled to pay homage to the Christ Child (Matt. 2). Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) painted the subject at least seven times. The Medici family were members of the Company and were frequently painted as the three Magi. In this version (c.