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This etching depicts the Adoration of the Magi, which is when the three wise men bring the
newborn Jesus gifts. The dynamic poses of the wise man and their followers give movement
and depth to the print, which is composed to lead the eye to the shining star in the center and
baby Jesus on the lower left.Label Type
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Pietro Testa was born in 1612 in the Italian city Lucca, but spent much of his life
working and studying in Rome. Though fellow artists praised his talent for drawing and
etching, Testa wanted desperately wanted to be a painter but never found success in that field.
He died, likely a suicide, in 1650.Label Type
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This print was made by etching, an intaglio (Italian for “incising”) printmaking technique that
allows for fluid lines and crosshatching. The etcher carves out lines into a wax layer on a metal plate,
then submerges the plate in acid, which eats into the exposed metal. These recessed lines are filled with
ink, which is pressed onto paper through a press.