Three crowned men offer gifts.
Bible in art · Matthew
The Adoration of the Magi (Ms. Ludwig VII 1, fol. 25v, from the Benedictional)
Unknown painter, Regensburg · about 1030–1040
Getty Center, Los Angeles
From a benedictional — a book of blessings for a bishop — made in Regensburg about 1030–1040.
Three crowned wise men come from the left with gifts. Mary sits on a throne under an arch with the Child on her lap, and a woman stands behind her. A star shines in the gold sky.
From the text
- The star stands over the place (Matthew 2:9)
- They present gifts (Matthew 2:11)
The artist’s own
- The wise men as kings with crowns, a tradition not in Matthew
- A golden sky under round arches
Details
The wise men
Mary and the Child
She sits on a throne holding the Child.
The star
Rays of a star in the gold.
Attendant
A woman stands behind the throne.
Unknown illuminator, Regensburg (Ottonian). The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles (Ms. Ludwig VII 1 (83.MI.90), fol. 25v) · Tempera colors, gold leaf, and ink, on parchment · Images provided here are believed to be in the public domain and are available under CC0 through Getty’s Open Content Program. (Getty record: "No Copyright", http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)