Description
Engraved ivory plaques were incorporated into luxurious small cabinets or chests, but independently conceived plaques set into frames were also valued as self-contained works of art. In this rendering ofthe "wisemen" from the East who came to adore the Christ Child, all three wear crowns and thus are kings rahter than wisemen or magi.
The style of this minutely detailed scene appears to be that of the Flemish engraver and draughtsman Johann Wierix. No engravings on ivory by him are known, but, in addition to prints on paper, he made delicate engravings on silver. During the 1590s, Wierix worked for the Habsburg court in Brussels and subsequently for the Jesuits in Antwerp.
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