Most moving are the gentle faces of the African Magus and his attendant, the only two figures who look directly at the viewer in the c. 1514 "Adoration of the Kings" from the workshop of the Netherlandish master Gerard David.

WSJ: Less Familiar Faces | Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe | Princeton University Art Museum | By Barrymore Laurence Scherer

Besides excellent craftsmanship, the master and members of his workshop in Cremona used different types of wood and, possibly, different chemical treatments.

ECONOMIST: Violin-making

Abelson graduated with degrees in chemistry and English from City College of New York, and earned a master's degree from the Writer's Workshop at the University of Iowa.

WSJ: Longtime Barron's writer Alan Abelson dies at 87