Star of Kings, A Night Piece (1630): Art, History and Details

Star of Kings, A Night Piece (1630) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Jan van de Velde (Dutch, 1620–1662); Pieter Molyn (Dutch, 1595–1661).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Star of Kings depicts the holiday of Epiphany, or Twelfth Night, celebrated on January 6, and commemorates the journey of the three Maji to the Christ child, guided by the Star of Bethlehem. In 17th-century Netherlands, the event was recreated by townspeople who gathered at dusk and processed through the streets singing and carrying candles and torches, following one of the most prominent citizens who had the honor of holding the star.

Object facts

• Title: Star of Kings, A Night Piece
• Date: 1630
• Creator attribution: Jan van de Velde (Dutch, 1620–1662); Pieter Molyn (Dutch, 1595–1661)
• Culture: Netherlands
• Type: Print
• Technique: engraving
• Dimensions: Sheet: 20.8 x 16.4 cm (8 3/16 x 6 7/16 in.)
• Collection: PR - Engraving
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 2003.45

Collection credit

Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.