The Adoration of the Magi

About the Artwork

Little is known about the life and career of Sint Jans. He seems to have been born in Haarlem in Holland in the northern Low Countries where he may have been attached to the Knights of Saint John as a lay brother, and likely produced an altarpiece for that order. (His name seems to derive from his affiliation with the Knights of Saint John.) He died young in his late 20s. Between 12 and 16 paintings are attributed to him. The subjects tend to derive from the New Testament. The original context of this painting is not known.

Exhibition history

In Memoriam: Leonard C. Hanna, Jr.. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 4-April 7, 1958). Dutch Art and Life in the Seventeenth Century. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 10-September 2, 1973). When Angels Bent Near the Earth to Touch Their Harps of Gold: The Christmas Story. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 1, 1981-January 17, 1982). Venite, adoremus: The Four Versions of "The Adoration of the Magi" by Geertgen tot Sint Jans. Oskar Reinhart Collection "Am Römerholz", Winterthur, Switzerland (September 21, 2007-January 27, 2008). The Beginnings of Dutch Painting. From Geertgen tot Sint Jans to Lucas van Leyden. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Netherlands (organizer) (February 16-May 25, 2008).

Quick Overview

Artist: Geertgen tot Sint Jans (Netherlandish, c. 1460-c. 1490)
Date: 1480s
Medium: oil on wood
Dimensions: Framed: 39 x 29.5 x 3.5 cm (15 3/8 x 11 5/8 x 1 3/8 in.); Unframed: 29.3 x 18.9 cm (11 9/16 x 7 7/16 in.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: Medieval Art
Credit line: Gift of the Hanna Fund
Accession no.: 1951.353

Provenance

(Rosenberg & Stiebel)

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.