The Adoration of the Magi. Fray Juan Bautista Maino

This painting shows the scene in which the Magi arrive to adore the Christ Child, who is in the arms of the Virgin Mary.

This scene is from the Gospel.

The Gospel is the book of the Bible that describes the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

The painting shows the Magi dressed in luxurious clothes of intense colours.

Each Magi wears the clothes of the continents they represent:

• Melchior represents Europe
• Gaspar represents Asia
• Balthasar represents Africa

The Magi give gold, frankincense and myrrh as gifts for the Christ Child.

The viewer also can see the emotion and compassion on the faces of the Magi.

The painting shows people in the Colosseum in Rome.

The Colosseum was a theatre built during the Roman Empire.

The Colosseum looks damaged in the painting, and plants grew on it and covered it with time.

Juan Bautista Maino signed a contract to make this painting for the altarpiece of the Church of San Pedro Martir in a convent in Toledo.

An altarpiece is a wooden structure that covers the wall behind the altars in churches.

An altarpiece contains sculptures and paintings.

Maino was commissioned to create a series of paintings depicting the life of Jesus, from his birth to his resurrection.

Maino signed a contract agreeing to complete a set of paintings within 8 months.

But the work took him over 2 years to finish.

During this time, Maino decided to enter the convent and become a Dominican monk.

A Dominican monk was a monk who lived in a convent.

Once Maino entered the convent, he devoted himself to living a religious life and stopped painting.

Before becoming a Dominican monk, Maino was the drawing master of the Spanish King Philip the Fourth.

The king appointed him an artistic adviser and supported him in choosing art to exhibit in his palaces.

His painting style shows scenes with a lot of light and intense colours.

Maino painted different types of pictures, such as portraits and landscapes.

During his early years, he went to Italy, where he learnt from the works of Italian artists that later influenced his painting style.