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This large-scale picture was painted for the Lady Chapel of the Abbey of St Adrian's, Geraardsbergen, not far from Brussels. It was evidently commissioned by a local nobleman, Daniel van Boechout, Lord of Boerlare, who was to be buried there. Behind the kneeling king, Caspar, stands Melchior with a retinue of attendants. Balthazar is on the left, and Gossaert has signed his name on the border of his headdress and again on the collar worn by his attendant.

The dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit, descends to the infant Christ from the brilliant star in the sky, and angels approach from a great distance through a series of arches, giving the scene a spectacular sense of space and depth.

Gossaert used the bright colour and highly detailed oil painting technique of his 15th-century Netherlandish predecessors to sophisticated effect. The figures wear sumptuous costumes made of rich fabrics. The metalwork gifts presented by the kings are elaborate and reflect contemporary designs.