Adoration of the Magi, Velázquez

This pictorial composition showcases the Christian tradition of the visit of the three wise men from the Far East to the Messiah born in Bethlehem of Judea.

The composition boasts detailed shadow work and notable realism. It depicts Saint Joseph, the Virgin Mary, a shepherd, and the three wise men adoring the child and carrying their respective gifts.
Mary is presented as a beautiful young woman with a halo, looking down and holding the child in her lap. Saint Joseph appears as a man with a weathered face, looking at his wife's countenance, as if wondering, "What is to come from here on out?"
The child Jesus, with a halo in the shape of a cross and adult-like features, is completely wrapped in cloth, alluding to the shroud that would envelop him on the day of his death.