THE ADORATION OF THE MAGI

This is William's depiction of the Adoration of the Magi in his "It's in the Book" project. This is the scene in which the wise men from the East come to adore the Christ child and offer him gifts.

Matthew 2:1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”

When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

This scene is widely depicted in art. Here are some examples.

This painting by Gerard David is from 1490-95. Mary and Joseph on the right look very calm and worshipful. Jesus is intentionally out of proportion for a baby. Though he’s the size of an infant, he sits up like he is a man—a miniature king enthroned upon his mother’s lap. He beckons to his brightly clad admirers who kneel down before him and offer their gifts like he is a true monarch while angels dangle about above the scene, demonstrating God's presence. The intention of this painting is to help us recognize Jesus’ unique status of king from his birth.

While many painters show the entire scene, Quentin Massys gives us an intimate, almost claustrophobic close-up of the adoration of the magi in this oil on wood painting from 1526. Mary holds the Christ child with great composure, refusing to show any emotion as if her role as mother of the savior makes too important to emote while a more baby-like Jesus eagerly greets his guests. The exotic neckpieces and clothing worn by the three magi, and their vessels inlaid with precious stone and decorated with gold filigree are reminiscent of the finely wrought goldsmith work produced in Antwerp in the sixteenth century. Thus, Massys was placing the scene in his own time and place. What is also unique about this work is that the magi have dramatic facial expressions and hand gestures. Contemplating their physiognomy can be deeply moving and inspire us to greater worship of Christ.

This painting entitled “Adoration of the Kings” from 1612 was painted by Maino. He gives us an epic vision of the entire scene complete with the star that guided the magi. Mary placidly holds a toddler-sized Jesus while Joseph looks off as if distracted. The magi gather around the child and offer their gifts. Their over-the-top costumes give us a heighten sense of their foreign flair. When meditating upon this work, we are aware that Jesus is the lord of all nations.

Abraham Bloemaert’s Adoration of the Magi (1624) again shows us magi in great finery. The one in the front bows down before the child who seems mature enough to reach his hand out to graciously receive him. Joseph peers timidly at them from the shadows. As with many paintings of this scene, the emphasis is primarily on the mother and child.

Peter Paul Rubens’ Adoration of the Magi from 1634 depicts Mary not as a peasant girl, but as a sumptuously dressed queen offering her little prince. The painting has the luscious colors Rubens was noted for, particularly gold and red. This work speaks of triumph and heralds Jesus as the prince of heaven, causing all to fall at his feet while chubby cherubs rightly dance with delight.

Contemporary Chinese painter, He Qi created this colorful painting. His unique style employs the traditional stylization of Chinese art—thus contexualizing the scenes for his own culture. The standing magi in this painting bends over in such an exaggerated fashion that it nearly makes our backs hurt just looking at him. It suggests deep adoration and humility before the Christ. Like the other works on this narrative, it evokes a sense of worship.

William decided that rather than focusing upon the mother and child, as is so common for works of art about this story, he would draw the attention to the facial expressions of the magi. Thus, he put the camera inside a portable crib to give the viewer the sense that he or she is looking up at the magi from the baby's point of view. It visually puts you into Jesus' shoes.

He then positioned the magi around the crib with traditional Christmas gifts in their hands in order to make the connection between the gifts the magi offered and the traditional gift giving we do at Christmas time. They magi are dressed up like well-to-do men. They wear hats reminiscent of crowns worn by many of the magi in other paintings. The white tie of the magi in the middle points down to the Christ child.

Their various facial expressions are striking. You really get the sense that they are looking happily into the face of a baby. Yet the magi on the right has a quizzical look. He may be simply amazed but it seems he's a bit distraught to witness this awesome mystery first-hand. The God of the Universe made flesh in a vulnerable child is indeed shocking.

We hope that by spending some time with this photograph, you will be inspired to respond to the Christ child similarly and to offer your gifts of time, talent and treasure to the service of this one who has come to make us whole.

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