Adoration of the Magi by Sandro Botticelli, 1475

Botticelli was commissioned to make around 7 versions of this particular painting, which depicts the biblical story of the three Wise Men and others coming to worship Christ at the Nativity.

Some of the figures in this scene are portraits of members of the Medici family - not all of whom were alive when the painting was commissioned. This painting was widely praised for the attention to detail as Botticelli managed to give each subject a completely different expression.

Though the painting highlights the sacredness of the Nativity, there is a humble realism about it as well; the ruins of the stable, the crowds and the fact that the holy figures of Christ, Mary and Joseph are painted as regular humans. Botticelli has managed the paint the holy family as devine, yet accessible.