The Adoration of the Wise Men Albrecht Durer Buy Art Prints Now
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Tom Gurney BSc (Hons) is an art history expert with over 20 years experience
Published on June 19, 2020 / Updated on October 14, 2023
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The Adoration Of The Wise Men was completed by Albrecht Durer in 1524 and is now a part of the collection of major Renaissance drawings at the Albertina Museum in Vienna, Austria.

An interesting aspect of this drawing is how the wise men are placed on the left and given large amounts of whitening in order to contrast with the darker figures on the right hand side. The artist used this technique frequently but in this case there was a symbolic element to it, deliberately separating the adored from the adorers.

The detail in this pen drawing is immense, with the artist also taking the time to place a small house in the background in order to complete the scene and enable it to be considered an artwork in its own right, rather than another study sketch as found throughout his career.

There are tall pillars as well as a wooden looking frontage to the building sat behind the wise men. There are also some animals on the left hand side, giving the impression of a local peasant dwelling. The date of this piece is written into the artwork, typical of Durer, but in this case he actually adds it into the scene itself rather than on the side by his signature as normally he would do.