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| Paolo Veronese, The Adoration of the Magi Italian, c. 1570-1580 St. Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum |
saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its
rising and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem
with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he
inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written
through the prophet:
‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time
of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the
child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him
homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star
that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over
the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They
prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and
offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed
for their country by another way.”
Matthew 2:1-12 (Gospel Reading for the Feast of the Epiphany of the
Lord)
At Christmas I investigated the appearance of the animals at the manger, the cow and donkey that appear in every Nativity set. It transpired that their lineage in
depictions of the manger scene goes all the way back to the beginnings of
Christian iconography. So too does the
iconography of the Epiphany scene. In
fact, it goes back even farther.
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| View of the Gallery in the Pio-Cristiano Museum of the Vatican Museums which displays the numerous early Christian sarcophagus frontals that include the Adoration of the Magi. |
The Earliest Images
The scene known as the Adoration of the Magi has one of the
longest traditions in Christian art, right up there with the Good
Shepherd. Its earliest appearance is in
the catacombs of Rome in the third century.
Already at this early date, many of the characteristics that would
appear in virtually every image of the visit of the strangers from the East
would appear. For instance, although the
Gospel of Matthew says nothing about how many magi there were, the number has
already been fixed at three, probably because three gifts are mentioned: gold, frankincense and myrrh.
In the 1980s, when treasures from the Vatican Museum
Collections toured the US, I found the most immediately affecting object to be
a humble, not very beautiful, indeed rudimentary burial niche frontal from the
Catacomb of Priscilla. Dated to the
mid-third century it shows on the left, a depiction of a deceased woman, named
Severa, with the inscription “Severa in deo vivas” (Severa, live in God). It was this inscription that sent chills
through me, for it said what I believe as a Catholic Christian, that death has
no power for those who believe in Christ and, through Baptism, live in
God. Those who buried her trusted that through her faith Severa was alive in Christ and that she still lives in Him, even though her body has long ago decayed.
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| The Commendation of Severa and the Adoration of the Magi Closing Plate of a niche with funeral inscription of Severa, From the Catacomb of Priscilla Roman, Mid-3rd Century Vatican, Pio-Cristiano Museum |
Another, very similar scene appears at about the same time (c. 200-250) in two paintings in the catacomb of Priscilla (the same catacomb from which the slab comes). In the first, the woman and child sit under a tree, while the figure of a prophet points to the star above them.
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| The Madonna and Child with Baalam and the Star Roman, c. 200-250 Rome, Catacomb of Priscilla |
In the second, the figure of the prophet is missing, but three figures, identical except for the color of their clothing, approach the seated woman and child, with outstretched hands.
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| The Adoration of the Magi Roman, Mid-Third Century Rome, Catacomb of Priscilla |
About 50-100 years later a more detailed image appears in
the catacomb of Marcus and Marcellianus in Rome and on several sarcophagus
frontals. Christianity, having survived
the persecution of Diocletian and been recognized as a legitimate religion by
the Edict of Milan, could begin to leave the catacombs and build churches and special
cemeteries, no longer hidden from public view.
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| The Adoration of the Magi From the Catacomb of Marcus and Marcellianus Roman, 4th Century Rome, Catacomb of Marcus and Marcellianus |
Elaborate sarcophagus frontals now became crowded with biblical scenes. And the visit of the Eastern strangers was a favorite subject for inclusion.
During these years the three were shown as virtual triplets,
identical looking and identically clothed, occasionally accompanied by their
camels. So, how did we get from these
triplets to the three differentiated figures that we know today?
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| Front of a Child's Sarcophagus with the Adoration of the Magi and Daniel in the Lion's Den Roman, c.300-330 Vatican, Pio-Cristiano Museum |
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| Frontal From a Child's Sarcophagus with the Adoration of the Magi and the Vision of Ezekiel Roman, c. 300-325 Vatican, Pio-Cristiano Museum |
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| Sarcophagus Frontal with Nativity and Epiphany Scenes Roman, 300-330 Vatican, Pio-Cristiano Museum |
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| Double Register Child's Sarcophagus with Biblical Scenes, including the Adoration of Magi (just below the portrait of the deceased) Roman, c. 325-350 Vatican, Pio-Cristiano Museum |
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| Two-Tiered Sarcophagus Frontal with Biblical Scenes Roman, c. 325-350 Vatican, Pio-Cristiano Museum Here the scene of the Magi is to the far left of the lower register. |
The Byzantine Era
Differentiation had begun to occur by the time the Magi were
depicted in the mosaic decoration of the triumphal arch separating the nave
from the apse area of the fifth-century church of Santa Maria Maggiore in
Rome.
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| The Adoration of the Magi Late Antique, c. 435 Rome, Church of Santa Maria Maggiore |
This grand Imperial mosaic shows the Christ Child and His Mother seated on thrones, as if in the court of heaven, surrounded by angels and receiving the tribute of the three visitors from the East. They are identically dressed in “Eastern” (i.e., Persian) clothing, with tight leggings, short, belted tunics, short cloaks and “Phrygian” caps and shoes with curling toes, varying only in color and adornments.
About 110 years later they are similarly depicted in a mosaic in the nave of the church of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo at Ravenna.
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| _The Adoration of the Magi Byzantine, c. 526 Ravenna, Church of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo |
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| The Magi (detail) Byzantine, c. 526 Ravenna, Church of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo |
Medieval Transformations
A manuscript illustration from around the end of the 8th century or beginning of the 9th, but presumably copied from an older source, again shows three similar figures approaching the Virgin and Child. Their tight leggings, short, belted tunics, capes and Phrygian caps suggest that this image continued for some time.,%20First%20Quarter%20of%209th%20Century_Munich,%20Bayerische%20Staatbibliothek,%20MS%20Clm%2023631.jpg) | |
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This is underlined by a very clever series of images fitted into the confines of the letter D from the Drogo Sacramentary of about 850. Here we see the Eastern figures meeting with Herod in the bottom of the upright stroke of D, their journey to Bethlehem in the curve and their meeting with Mother and Child at the top of the upright.
,%20c.%20850_Paris,%20Bibliotheque%20nationale%20de%20France_MS%20Latin%209428,%20fol.%2034v.jpg) | |
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Another 100 or so years on the “Eastern” figures have been
transformed into Frankish ones. The
former marks of their Eastern origin elided rather easily into the somewhat
similar clothing of the inhabitants of Western Europe. They now wear looser trousers, boots to
mid-calf, knee length tunics and short cloaks and their headgear is either
missing or has begun to transform into something resembling crowns.
,%20c.%20980_Paris,%20BNF_MS%20Latin%2010514,%20fol.%2018v.jpg) |
The Adoration of the Magi From the Gospel Book of Poussay German (Reichenau), c. 980 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 10514, fol. 18v |
,%20c.%20996-1024_Paris,%20BNF_MS%20Arsenal%201169,%20fol.%2013v.jpg) |
The Adoration of the Magi From the Troparium aeduense French (Autun), c. 996-1024 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Arsenal 1169, fol. 13v |
Another 100 years on and the beautiful manuscripts of the Reichenau School, working for the German Ottonian Emperors, produced some of the most definitive images of the Magi, which would be influential for many years.
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| The Adoration of the Magi From the Gospel Book of Otto III German (Reichenau), c. 1000 Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek MS Clm 4453, fol. 29 |
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| The Adoration of the Magi (left side) From the Book of Pericopes of Henry II German (Reichenau), c. 1007 Munich, Bayerisches Staatsbibliothek MS Clm 4452, fol. 39 |
Although by the time of the Reichenau images the Magi were already being thought of as Kings, this identification did not become completely established until the early 13th century. Until then most artists depicted them as Kings, while others retained some memory of the earlier images.
,%20c.%201020-1040_Paris,%20BNF_MS%20Latin%2018005,%20fol.%2034v.jpg) |
| The Adoration of the Magi From the Treves Sacramentary German (Reichenau), c. 1020-1040 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 18005, fol. 34v |
,%20c.%201100-1150_Paris,%20Bibliotheque%20nationale%20de%20France_MS%20Latin%2017325,%20fol.%2020.jpg) |
| The Adoration of the Magi From a Gospel Book German (Prüm), c. 1100-1150 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 17325, fol. 20 |
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| The Magi Follow the Star From the St. Alban's Psalter (aka Psalter of Christina of Markyate) English (St. Alban's Abbey), First Half of the 12th Century Hildesheim, Dombibliothek. fol. 24 |
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| The Adoration of the Magi From the St. Alban's Psalter or (aka Psalter of Christina of Markyate) English (St. Alban's Abbey), First Half 12th Century Hildesheim, Dombibliothek. fol. 25 |
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| Virgin and Child in Majesty with Angels and the Adoration of the Magi Catalan, c. 1100 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters Collection |
The identification with kings takes its origin from the application to the Eastern visitors of the description from Psalm 72:10-11 “May the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute, the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. May all kings bow before him, all nations serve him” and from Isaiah 60:6 “All from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and heralding the praises of the LORD”. Indeed, in some European countries the identification of the magi as kings is so strong that the preferred term for paintings is not “Adoration of the Magi”, but “Adoration of the Kings” (e.g., Die Anbetung der Köninge) and the day is not “Epiphany” but “Three Kings Day” (e.g., “Dia de los Reyes”).
The Adoration of the Kings
From Miniatures of the Life of Christ
French (Picardy), c. 1170-1180
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 44, fol. 4v
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| The Adoration of the Kings and the Presentation of Jesus From the Psalter of Saint Louis and Blanche of Castille French, c. 1225 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Arsenal 1186, fol. 18r |
The Adoration of the Kings
From a Book of Hours
French (Paris), c. 1230-1240
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 92, fol. 5v
,%20c.%201285-1290_Paris,%20BNF_MS%20Nouvelle%20acq%20fran%2016251,%20fol.%2025v.jpg) |
| Master Henri, The Adoration of the Kings From Images de la vie du Christ et des saints Flemish (Hainaut), c. 1285-1290 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Nouvelle acquisitions francaise 16251, fol. 25v |
,%20c.%201320-1330_Paris,%20BNF_MS%20Francais%20187,%20fol.%205.jpg) |
| The Adoration of the Kings From the Sermons of Maurice de Sully Italian (Milan or Genoa), c. 1320-1330 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 187, fol. 5r |
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| Giotto, The Adoration of the Kings Italian, c. 1320 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| The Adoration of the Kings From Vies des saints by Jacobus de Voragine French (Paris), c. 1325-1350 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 185, fol. 8r |
,%201348_Paris,%20BNF_MS%20Francais%20241,%20fol.%2034v.jpg) |
| Richard de Montbaston, The Adoration of the Kings From a Legenda aurea by Jacobus de Voragine French (Paris), 1348 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 241, fol. 34v This is somewhat unusual in spreading the narrative over two scenes suggesting a new sense of spatial relationships within the picture. |
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| Scenes from the Lives of Christ and the Virgin French, c. 1350 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art
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,%20c.%201385-1390_Paris,%20BNF_MS%20Latin%2018014,%20fol.%2042v%20(2).jpg)
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| The Adoration of the Kings (left) Austrian, c. 1390 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art The Choisters Collection |
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| The Adoration of Magi (right) Austrian, c. 1390 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art The Choisters Collection |
,%20c.%201398-1403_BNF_MS%20Rothschild%202529,%20fol.%20145%20(3).jpg) | |
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,%20c.%201400-1425+Paris,%20BNF_MS%20Latin%201161,%20fol.%2079.jpg) |
| Boucicaut Master, The Adoration of the Kings From the Hours of Jeanne Bessonnelle French (Paris), c. 1400-1425 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 1161, fol. 79r |
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| Master of the Coronation of the Virgin, The Adoration of the Kings From a Book of Hours Fragment French (Paris), c. 1400-1410 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 1068, fol. 4 |
Renaissance Royals
The identification of the Magi with Kings was firmly established by the full flowering of the Renaissance in the fifteenth century across Europe.
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| Pseudo Domenico di Michelino, The Adoration of the Kings Italian, 15th Century Vatican, Pinacoteca Vaticana |
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| The Limbourg Brothers (Herman, Jean and Pol), The Adoration of the Kings From the Tres Riches Heures de Jean de Berry Flemish, c. 1411-1416 Chantilly, Musée Condé MS 65, fol. 52r |
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| Gentile da Fabriano, The Adoration of the Kings Italian, 1423 Florence, Gallerie degli Uffizi |
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| Fra Angelico and Fra Filippo Lippi, The Adoration of the Kings Italian,c. 1440-1460 Washington, National Gallery of Art |
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| The Adoration of the Kings From a Book of Hours French, c. 1450-1475 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de Franch MS Latin 1175, fol. 55v |
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| Jean Fouquet, The Adoration of the Kings From the Hours of Etienne Chevalier French (Tours), c. 1452-1460 Chantilly, Musée Condé MS 71, |
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| Giovanni di Paolo, The Adoration of the Kings Italian, c. 1460 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection |
However, the scene is still not the familiar crib scene we
know today, one element is still missing.
What is missing is the dark skinned magi or king. Where is he?
The Magi As Representatives of All the World's People
As thinking about the meaning of the visit of the magi
advanced in the Church during the first millennium, it became common to think
of these men, first as non-Jews to whom the existence and importance of Jesus was revealed. Then to see them as
representing the many non-Jewish peoples who had embraced Christianity. Then to see them as representing the peoples
of the entire world. In the eighth
century the Anglo-Saxon historian, Venerable Bede, recorded a tradition that
the kings represented the peoples of the known world, Europe, Asia and
Africa. However, this did not appear in
the visual record of western European or Byzantine art. Why?
One reason is that the scope of what individuals in Europe or in
the Byzantine Empire knew about the rest of the world was limited, especially
in regard to Africa. Bede’s reference to
“Africa” should probably best be thought of as a reference to the Roman
province of Africa, which was actually only those areas that form the southern
shore of the Mediterranean and which today are Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya
and Egypt. That there was more to Africa
was known, of course, but rather vaguely.
Medieval people would have probably been vaguely aware of Ethiopia,
which they thought of as a semi-mythical place, the realm of Prester John, a
mythical king of a Christian kingdom surviving in the Muslim world. But they would probably never have seen an
Ethiopian, much less a person from sub-Saharan “black” Africa.
Living in modern-day cities filled with an immense variety
of people from different places and ethnic groups it is difficult to imagine
living in a place where everyone looks just like you. Yet, until very recently this was not
uncommon, and still can be found in many areas of the world. Until quite recently my trips to visit my
family in rural Ireland opened this kind of isolation to me so that, on my
return to New York, I would muse on the contrast between the variety I observed
in a single subway car on my first day back at work and the homogeneity of my
time on vacation. People simply had
never seen a dark-skinned person in their lives. The situation was similar in relation to the
beast so long attached to the magi, the camel.
Few, if any, northern Europeans had ever seen a living camel, although
they may have read descriptions of them.
Consequently, when a riding animal appears in conjunction with the magi,
it is either a horse or a very strange looking animal that is meant to be a
camel.
So, when did the dark-skinned African member of the magi
appear? From my review of hundreds of images,
it appears to have been about the middle of the 15th century. 1450 is a good date to use as a point of
reference. And this date also suggests the
reason why artists began to include such figures in their work and why they
began to appear where they did.
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| Andrea Mantegna. The Adoration of the Magi Italian, c. 1461 Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi
The young magus or king is now an African. He has his own retinue of African attendants and there are almost-but-not-quite-right two-humped Bactrian camels in evidence. Enter an African King |
With living examples of Africans at last appearing in western
Europe artists could now make the suggestion of the Venerable Bede a reality
and truly African faces now began to appear as one of the three magi. They begin to appear first in the countries
associated with the exploration and early exploitation of west Africa, that is in Portugal, Spain and the Spanish-ruled Low Countries. They entered Italy from both directions, from the north through trade with Flanders, and from the south through Spanish-dominated Naples. From there the idea of using a black person
spread to the rest of Europe, although frequently it consisted simply of
coloring in the face of one of the kings whose facial features were still
distinctly European.
However, the entire output of magi figures by European artists did not
change color. For
many years the older, entirely white grouping continued to be painted. However, over the course of the second half
of the fifteenth and the entire sixteenth century the change took
hold, with panel painters seeming to adapt more completely than miniature
painters. Whether this was the result
of a conservative streak in the miniaturists or is the result of them acting on
instructions from the buyers of their work is hard to say.
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| The Adoration of the Magi From the Hours of Cecilia Gonzaga Italian (Milan), c. 1465-1475 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 454, fol. 195r |
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| Jean Colombe and Workshop, The Adoration of the Magi From a Book of Hours French (Bourges), c. 1465-1470 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 248, fol. 49v |
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| Justus of Ghent, The Adoration of the Magi Flemish, c. 1465 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art
The younger king, who reaches to a servant for his gift at the left of this painting has African features, as does his servant, though their color seems to have faded over time. |
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| Master of Charles de Neufchaatel, The Adoration of the Magi From a Book of Hours French (Besancon), c. 1465-1475 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 28, fol. 60r |
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| Master of Edward IV, The Adoration of the Magi From a Book of Hours Flemish (Bruges), c. 1465-1480 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS W 31, fol. 70v |
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| The Adoration of the Magi (Made of Papier Mache) German, c. 1470-1480 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters Collection |
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| Follower of Jean Fouquet, The Adoration of the Magi From a Book of Hours French (Tours), c. 1470 The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliotheek MS KB 74 G 28, fol. 72 |
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| Hans Memling, Central Panel of the Adoration of the Magi Triptych Flemish, c. 1470-1472 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
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| Sano di Pietro, The Adoration of the Magi Italian, c. 1470 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Robinet Testard, The Journey and Adoration of the Magi From a Book of Hours French (Poitiers), c. 1470-1480 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 1001, fol. 51r |
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| Jean Colombe and Workshop, The Adoration of the Magi From Hours of Anne of France French (Bourges), 1473 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 677, fol. 123v |
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| Hieronymus Bosch, The Adoration of the Magi Dutch, c. 1475 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Follower of Guillaume Vrelant, The Adoration of the Magi From a Book of Hours Flemish (Bruges), c. 1475-1485 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 493, fol. 58v |
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| Simon Marimion, The Adoration of the Magi From a Book of Hours Flemish, c. 1475-1485 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 6, fol. 44v |
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| Sandro Botticelli. The Adoration of the Magi Italian, c. 1478-1482 Washington, National Gallery of Art |
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| The Adoration of the Magi From a Book of Hours Flemish (Tournai), c. 1480-1490 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 234, fol. 83v |
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| The Adoration of the Magi From a Book of Hours French (Paris), c. 1480-1500 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 179, fol. 81r |
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| Georges Trubert, The Adoration of the Magi From a Book of Hours French (Avignon), c. 1480-1495 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 348, fol. 88r |
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| Jacques de Besancon, The Adoration of the Magi From a Legenda aurea by Jacobus de Voragine French (Paris), c. 1480-1490 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 244, fol. 39v |
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| Jean Bourdichon and Workshop, The Adoration of the Magi From a Book of Hours French (Tours), c. 1485-1495 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 291, fol. 38r |
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| Follower of Jean Poyer, The Adoration of the Magi From a Book of Hours French (Tours), c. 1490-1500 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 388, fol. 67v |
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| Hieronymous Bosch, The Adoration of the Magi Triptych Dutch, c. 1494 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
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| Andrea Mantegna, The Adoration of the Magi Italian, c. 1495-1505 Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum |
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| Master of Pertrarch's Triumphs, The Adoration of the Magi From the Hours of Claude Mole French (Paris), c. 1495-1505 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 356, fol. 23t |
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| Master of Sir George Talbot, The Adoration of the Magi From a Book of Hours Flemish (Bruges), c. 1495-1505 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 390, fol. 61v |
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| Master of the Older Prayerbook of Maximilian I The Adoration of the Magi From the Breviary of Eleanor of Portugal Flemish (Bruges), c. 1495-1505 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 52, fol. 61v |
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| -Jean Poyer, The Adoration of the Magi From the Hours of Henry VIII French (Tours), c. 1495-1500 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS H 8, fol. 61v |
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| Andrea della Robbia, The Adoration of the Magi Italian, c. 1500-1510 London, Victoria and Albert Museum |
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| Jean Bourdichon, The Adoration of the Magi From the Hours of Frederic of Aragon French (Tours), c. 1501-1504 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 10532, fol. 146 |
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| Jean Bourdichon, The Adoration of the Magi From the Grandes heures d'Anne de Bretagne French (Tours), c. 1503-1508 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 9474, fol. 64v |
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| Giorgione, The Adoration of the Magi Italian, c. 1506-1507 London, National Gallery |
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| Juan de Flandres, The Adoration of the Magi Flemish, c. 1508-1519 Washington, National Gallery of Art |
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| Simon Bening, The Adoration of the Magi From the Da Costa Hours Flemish (Bruges), c. 1510-1520 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 399, fol. 162v |
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| Gerard David, The Adoration of the Magi Flemish, c. 1515 London, National Gallery |
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| Simon Bening, The Adoration of the Magi From a Book of Hours Flemish (Bruges), c. 1515-1525 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 307, fol. 59v |
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| Master of the Ango Hours, The Adoration of the Magi From the Ango Hours French (Rouen), c. 1515 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Nouvelle acquisition latine 392, fol. 61v |
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| Quentin Metsys, The Adoration of the Magi Flemish, 1526 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Pieter Coecke van Aelst, Triptych of the Adoration of the Magi Flemish, c. 1530 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
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| Giulio Clovio, The Adoration of the Magi From the Farnese Hours Italian (Rome), 1546 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 69, fol. 38v |
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| Baptiste Pellerin, The Adoration of the Magi From the Hours of Claude Goffier French (Paris), c. 1550-1558 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 538, fol. 37v |
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| Francesco Bassano. The Adoration of the Magi Italian, c. 1550-1600 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
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| Pieter Brueghel the Younger, The Adoration of the Magi Dutch, c.1600 Saint Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum
In true Brueghel fashion the activity of the Magi, the first of whom is shown bending down at the far left to reverence the Child, is almost lost amid the daily activities of the town, as the townspeople look on curiously. |
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| Morazzone (Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli), The Adoration of the Magi Italian, c. 1600 Washington, National Gallery of Art |
Tradition Transformed
Nevertheless, as the use of costly illuminated service and prayer
books ceased and were almost entirely replaced by cheaper and
more readily available printed books, the inclusion of a clearly African magus
in Epiphany scenes became universal. By
1600 the change was complete and this is the configuration that was reproduced
time and again in painting and sculpture, and which eventually made its way to
thousands and thousands of Nativity scenes, in churches and homes, both humble
and grand.
For the next three hundred years the magi became more and
more fabulous figures in increasingly grand and exotic costumes with increasing
retinues of attendants riding camels (which also became more realistic as
living examples were imported for the private zoos of important people and as
Europeans began to venture once again into areas of the world where camels are
common).
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| Fray Juan Bautista Maino, The Adoration of the Magi Spanish, c. 1612-1614 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
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| Diego Velazquez, The Adoration of the Magi Spanish, 1619 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado
Here I think Velazquez wins the prize for his painting of the cutest Baby Jesus of all time. |
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| Abraham Bloemaert, The Adoration of the Magi Flemish, c. 1623-1624 Grenoble, Musée des Beaux-Arts |
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| Peter Paul Rubens, The Adoration of the Magi Flemish, 1624 Antwerp, Royal Museum of Fine Arts
The several compositions created by Rubens for his paintings of the Adoration of the Magi were tremendously influential for all the generations that followed him through the prints made after them. |
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| Peter Paul Rubens, The Adoration of the Magi Flemish, c. 1628-1629 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado
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| Pedro Nunez del Valle, The Adoration of the Magi Spanish, 1631 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
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| Sebastien Bourdon, The Adoration of the Magi French, c. 1642-1645 Berlin, Schloss Sanssouci |
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| Bartolome Esteban Murillo, The Adoration of the Magi Spanish, c. 1655-1660 Toledo (OH), Toledo Museum of Art |
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| Francisco Rizi, The Adoration of the Magi Spanish, 1670 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
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| Cristobal de Villalpando, The Adoration of the Magi Mexican, 1683 New York, Fordham University Collection |
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Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, The Adoration of the Magi
Italian, c. 1750
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
A Nineteenth-Century Archaeological Approach
In the late 19th century one artist felt the need
to go to the Holy Land to study its landscape and peoples and produced images
of the magi that again broke with tradition.
Reasoning perhaps, that the Gospel says simply that they came “from the
east” James Tissot produced several images that once again return the image of
the magi to its source in the middle east.
For, in his detailed, almost archaeological pictures he presented three
virtually identical persons, defined individually only by the color of their
clothing and the color of their facial hair, for one is white-bearded, two are
black-bearded. Otherwise, they are all
of one skin tone and of about the same height.
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James Tissot, The Magi Journeying
French, 1886-1894
New York, Brooklyn Museum |
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James Tissot, The Adoration of the Magi
French, 1886-1894
New York, Brooklyn Museum
|
It is as if the entire development of the image of the magi
had been on a circular trajectory, from the middle east to the Roman Empire and
from the Roman to the Carolingian/Ottonian Empire, to western Europe generally,
to west Africa and, finally, back to the middle east.
© M. Duffy, 2018
Notes:
Some of the development of the magi as part of the Nativity
story is found on the internet at:
1. Jensen, Robin M. “Witnessing the Divine: The magi in art and literature”, Bible
History Today, November 17, 2016.
Reprinted from Bible Review, 2001. (Available at: https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/witnessing-the-divine/)
2. Harley, Felicity and McGowan,
Andrew. (2016) “The Magi and the Manger: Imaging Christmas in Ancient Art and
Ritual,” The Yale ISM Review, Vol. 3, No. 1, Article 2. (Available at: http://ismreview.yale.edu)
See also a recent book:
Longenecker, Dwight. Mystery
of the Magi: The Quest to Identify the Three
Wise Men, Regnery History, Washington, D.C., 2017.
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
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