Need spiritual insight this Christmas? Explore the glorious Epiphany of the Lord in sacred art

(LifeSiteNews) — Before being elected successor of St. Peter, Pope Benedict XVI, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, wrote, “The only really effective apologia for Christianity comes down to two arguments, namely the saints the Church has produced and the art which has grown in her womb.”

In outlining the role of sacred art, St. Thomas Aquinas explains:

There were three reasons for the introduction of the use of visual arts in the Church: first, for the instruction of the uneducated, who are taught by them as by books; second, that the mystery of the Incarnation and the examples of the saints be more firmly impressed on our memory by being daily represented before our eyes; and third, to enkindle devotion, which is more efficaciously evoked by what is seen than by what is heard.

As a teacher of the Catholic faith in a previous life, I have found that in unpacking the rich symbolism of sacred art, students, even several years later, could recall and explain the meaning of the symbols and doctrines conveyed. Thus, pondering Gentile de Fabriano’s Adoration of the Magi (1423), I offer some reflections on the mysteries related to the Epiphany of the Lord, also known as Three Kings Day, traditionally celebrated as part of the Christmas season on January 6.

Of course, this holy day commemorates the arrival of the Magi from the East to worship the Christ Child in Bethlehem and thus represents the first manifestation of the Lord to the Gentiles revealing His universal salvific mission to the entire world.

Before studying such paintings, it is always most helpful to prayerfully recall passages in Sacred Scripture that bear witness to the event portrayed. Should you wish to do this, which is highly recommended, you will conveniently find the passage to Matthew 2:1-12 here.

Adoration of the Magi – Gentile de Fabriano, 1423

Gentile da Fabriano’s painting was commissioned as an altarpiece with three additional mini arches above this frame (see full photo here) depicting the story of first, the wise men gazing and noticing the star in the top left corner, then in the central arch they travel to Jerusalem with their entourage, and in the top right lunette they depart Jerusalem leading to their arrival in the main frame above.

God’s condescension to man

For such paintings from this period, colors had significant symbolic meaning, with the two most expensive paint colors being gold and blue due to how they were produced.

If we look at the central figures of the painting, we see the Baby Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, the three kings and a couple of servant girls. To the right, we see a somewhat indifferent crowd, “the rabble,” so to speak.

Above the head of St. Joseph is a burst of gold that likely represents the Star of Bethlehem followed by the Magi to bring them to this encounter.

Notice how the gold descends down in a curving pattern from the star to the halos, and the garments of St. Joseph, through the Christ Child to the elder king and to the ground. This is deliberate to symbolize the decent of God, or the condescension of God and His grace, through Jesus Christ, to humanity.

And what is this king doing? As the scripture read, “they fell down and worshiped him” (v. 11), but what else? He is kissing the feet of Jesus, or we can say, he is taking the flesh of Jesus upon his lips.

Recalling this painting is an altarpiece, originally commissioned for a church, notice the “halo” behind the head of the elder king. Does it not also represent a Eucharistic circle, a Eucharistic host?

Thus, God’s condescension to man, occurs in a physical way through the Mystery of His Eucharistic presence on the altar.

Additionally, how far does that grace descend? We notice that the gold continues down the left arm of the elder king and ripples along the very bottom of the painting even unto the lowest, dirtiest, muddy ground of dust and stone, indicating God’s desire to redeem even the very worst sinful depths of humanity.

The Conversion of man to God

We have more gold proceeding faintly from the right becoming more pronounced with the three different kings. First, we see the young king in the middle of the frame. He has apparently just dismounted from his horse; he is holding his head high with a beautiful crown on his head. He is also bearing his gift for this Child whom they know to be a king (vs. 2).

This younger king appears quite pleased with his gift and his willingness to give it to the Child King while still being a bit hesitant and perhaps skeptical regarding the identity of this Child and whether he should give more.

In slight contrast, the next king to the left, who is middle-aged, seems to be unsure if he should be wearing his crown in the presence of this Child. He is proceeding forward, is closer to the Baby Jesus than the young king, and both his head and his gift are lower. He appears to be in the process of kneeling or bowing in some way to the Child King.

Finally, we see the elderly king who has come to the realization of who the Real King is, Who his King is, and has discarded his own crown to the dust of the earth. He has not given this precious crown, this sign of his authority, to an attendant to carefully look after even as he pays homage to Christ, but instead has cast it aside to the dust, abandoning it, handing everything over to this Child King.

So, here we see a process of conversion in stages of progression from the young king to the middle-aged king, and finally the older king who hands over everything to Jesus Christ recognizing that whatever authority he had as a king is nothing compared with the preeminent universal authority of the Son of God, Christ the King.

As an altarpiece, such a painting conveys, presents and teaches the proper attitudes before the Christ child on the altar, in bowing and worshiping His Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist.

Different stages of conversion among the ‘rabble’

We should also not neglect looking about at some of the individuals we identified as being part of the “rabble.” As a group, they display all sorts of different stages of proximity and understanding of the Mystery of Jesus Christ. Considering this painting was intended for a Catholic church, we may consider that many among the “rabble” of our parishes are likewise at different stages of conversion.

Notice, for example, the man whose head can be seen in the background between the young and middle-aged kings. Despite his proximity to the Presence of Christ, he seems to be missing its entire significance being unaware of the Presence of God immediately in his midst.

He is very close to the Son of God, and to his Immaculate Mother, yet still does not see this Him. He is very close to people of faith yet doesn’t see them and has turned his back.

Just behind him, we see a man with a red hat who appears to be experiencing a movement toward conversion as he gazes at the mystery of the star as if to be pondering what that phenomenon might be along with its meaning. He is moving toward a greater understanding.

As we might expect or see during a Sunday Mass, there are others in the background who may be joking, laughing, or are interested and looking at other things without realizing the central Mystery of the entire cosmos is right before them.

There are also horses that are a symbol of power and wealth along with an assortment of animals, which, also in medieval times were symbols of virtues and vices, though mostly vices. For example, the monkeys in the background were a symbol of lust.

In any event, there is a pilgrimage being represented here from a type of godlessness or worldliness toward an ongoing conversion, processing closer to Christ where we experience a greater representation of peace.

And just toward the middle of the painting we see a man looking out at us, the viewers. This was a technique by which that figure would seek to draw the viewer in and connect them with the painting itself, as if to say, what is happening here has something to do with you. Where do you fit in this picture? Are you a figure in the “rabble” disinterested in the Son of God who is right before you in the Holy Eucharist? Or are you in one of these stages of conversion?

Of course, the stage closest to Christ and His Mother is the elderly king who has handed over everything and is being fondly blessed and lovingly touched on the head by the Baby Jesus.

The Christian journey is thus this process of encounter with the Person of Jesus Christ and giving to him all that we are, while recognizing that nothing in this world compares in any way to the importance of Communion with the Living God accomplished in the act of falling before him in an act of Eucharistic worship.

Mary’s exulted dignity due to her perfect humility

If we turn our focus to the color blue, we can discover some profound insights as well.

In the period of the Middle Ages when this work of art was painted, the color blue was produced from the crushed lapis lazuli gemstone. It was thus incredibly expensive. When such paintings were commissioned, the amount of lapis lazuli that could be used was always stipulated in the agreement along with where this color would be applied. It was thus customary that the Blessed Virgin Mary was depicted in blue to reflect her lofty dignity.

Yet, there is another figure who is dressed in blue as well. Observe the man bowed over in the lower middle section of the frame. What is he doing but the lowliest task in the medieval period, or in the time of Jesus as well: tending to the feet of others.

With his head lower than all others as he exercised his task of untying the spurs of the young king, this man was at the very bottom of the social strata, the lowest of the low, and thus he represents humility.

Thus, he is most humble, yet he is painted with the color of the greatest dignity. This tells us something about the Mother of God, who is draped heavily in blue: That while she is the one with the most dignity, she is also the most humble.

The blue of the humble man at the bottom of the painting highlights the glorious humility of the Queen of Heaven and Earth, and her blue testifies to the exalted dignity and preciousness of every child of God, especially the “lowest of the low,” those in the humblest positions, the “least of these” among us (see Mt. 25: 40, 45).

The insights provided in this article were largely obtained from a presentation given by Dr. Caroline Farey in 2009 that the author attended.

Adoration of the Magi – Gentile de Fabriano, 1423