The adoration of the Magi

'The Adoration of the Magi' is a scene in a fresco cycle decorating the interior of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. The fresco was painted by the Florentine master Giotto di Bondone, probably in 1303 and 1304. Halley's Comet had appeared in 1301, and inspired the artist to depict the Star of Bethlehem as a fiery comet. When the European Space Agency elected to send a spacecraft to encounter the comet, the spacecraft was named after the artist. Reproduction of the painting is by the courtesy of the Comune di Padova [Image Date: 01-10-83] [83.10.009-001]