This depiction of the Epiphany, part of a series of seven panels depicting the life of Christ, shows two related events: the arrival of three kings (or magi) bearing gifts and, in the background, the annunciation of Christ's birth to the shepherds. Christ reveals himself to the exalted and the humble. Giotto, the founder of Renaissance painting, has endowed these sacred events with a human dimension that was revolutionary at the time: there was no precedent for the way the old king removes his crown and lifts the child from the manger or for the subtle exchange of glances. The clearly organized space, arranged like a stepped stage with the stable viewed from below, and the solidly constructed figures are characteristic of his style.

Giotto made a decisive break with the Byzantine tradition that dominated Italian painting. In his works, the expression of human feeling and character is combined with an entirely new attitude toward form in relation to the surrounding space. His followers and pupils were many, and his influence not only overshadowed the artists of the immediately succeeding generations in Florence but also shaped the creators of the Italian Renaissance. His famous fresco cycles, such as those in the Arena Chapel in Padua, served as instruction for later artists.