The Adoration of the Kings

Dosso Dossi painted this Adoration of the Kings in Ferrara around 1527 to 1529 and, unusually, set it at night. A huge harvest moon ringed with pink hangs in the sky, crossed by storm clouds, and the darkness gave him room for the quick, flickering brushwork he is known for. Patches of golden light fall on the grass, broken by the shadows of passing clouds. The Child stands half-upright on his mother's knee and lifts a hand in blessing. The old king, Melchior, has taken off his crown and kneels in a white turban. Balthasar stands beneath the moon with his arm stretched out, holding a ewer that probably contains frankincense. Joseph lies on the ground in the corner, leaning on an open book, the Old Testament, in a pose the National Gallery compares to an ancient river god.