The Mannerist tendency in the old duchy of Brabant (Antwerp-Brussels), had some points of contact with the more sedate Bruges style. It is not always clear, however, whether a particular work was painted by Bruges masters who had settled in Antwerp or in Bruges itself. Alongside the pure Antwerp and Bruges styles, a kind of Bruges-Antwerp fusion can be distinguished, symbolizing the growing attraction of the rising metropolis. The magnificently refined Adoration of the Magi, executed by an unknown master called the Master of the Bruges Adoration, is a pictorial jewel and should be seen in this context.
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