It’s my tradition at Christmas time to share a beautiful nativity scene with readers of Real Clear Arts. This year, I’ve chosen a painting by Fra Angelico and Filippo Lippi–a tondo titled Adoration of the Magi and now in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, though once in the possession of the Medicis. Measuring just over 54 inches in diameter, it dates to the mid 15th century and came to the NGA courtesy of Samuel H. Kress.
Here is the NGA’s description. The Wikipedia entry on the painting is quite extensive, and though I did not check out its accuracy, I found it to be enlighteding, partly because it also contains pictures of two tondos worth knowing, one by Botticelli and the other by Domenico Veneziano, as well as details of the Angelico/Lippi work. And if you really want to inspect it, go to its place in the Google Cultural Institute trove.
Merry Christmas to all!