Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Adoration of the Magi is the traditional name for the Nativity scene in Christian art in which the three Magi, shown as kings, lay gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh before the infant Jesus and worship him. The scene is drawn from Matthew 2:11, in which the Magi enter the house, kneel before the child and his mother Mary, and offer their treasure.
The three names that prevailed across the centuries for the Magi are Gaspar, sometimes spelled Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. Tradition cast them as representatives of the three known continents, with Balthasar typically shown as a young African or Moor, Caspar given Oriental features or dress, and Melchior representing Europe and middle age.
In Western Christianity, the event is commemorated on the Feast of the Epiphany, the 6th of January. The Eastern Orthodox Church instead commemorates it on the Feast of the Nativity, the 25th of December.
The English term is anglicized from the Vulgate Latin section heading for the Matthew passage, A Magis adoratur. The scene is drawn from Matthew 2:1 through 22, later expanded by non-canonical sources such as the Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine.
The subject was especially popular with the artists of Antwerp Mannerism from about 1500 to 1530, a period when Antwerp overtook Bruges as the leading business city of the Low Countries. The Magi were regarded as patron saints of traveling merchants and international trade, and many patrons for these paintings came from Antwerp's international business communities.
The earliest depictions survive in catacomb paintings and sarcophagus reliefs from the 4th century, showing the Magi in Persian dress with trousers and Phrygian caps, advancing in profile with their gifts held out. Crowns did not appear until the 10th century, and by the 15th century the scene had become a showcase for painters handling crowds, animals, and varied textures.