As described in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, the three kings, Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, worship the new-born Christ child, sitting on Mary’s lap on the right, surrounded by onlookers. The drawing is probably a preparatory sketch for a painting now lost. It is one of the variations that Jordaens made on the subject of the Adoration of the Magi in which he re-used and reworked his own motifs, such as Joseph holding his hat above his head, and the group of gazing people and animals. These also feature in other works.