The Adoration of the Magi

This 1504 oil painting from Albrecht Durer is part of the collection of the Uffizi in Florence

Adoration of the Magi has inspired many artists from the Northern Renaissance, but this is amongst the most memorable. The artist again chooses to place himself within the artwork, as he did so in his Martyrdom of the Ten Thousand.

Frederick the Wise would commission Durer to produce this painting to sit above the altar of the Schlosskirche in Wittenberg. Several other Durer paintings were put on display in this town.

Luigi Lanzi of the Uffizi added it to their collection by swapping it for Fra Bartolomeo's Presentation in the Temple. Up to that point it had always remained in Vienna, where many of his other work still remains today.

You tend to find the work of masters such as Durer to be dotted about the major European art institutions, with most provincial galleries being unable to finance their initial purchase or indeed their ongoing insurance.

Durer became well known for his portraits of animals and insects and you will find some creatures lurking in the detail of this painting - look closely to find butterflies, horses and deer. There are also some of his characteristic plants featured in crevaces of some of the stone work.

Adoration of the Magi is a religious theme covered by many artists from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Some of the most notable came from Diego Velazquez, Leonardo da Vinci, Hieronymus Bosch, Sandro Botticelli and Titian.