FREE ESSAY ON ADORATION OF THE MAGI

ADORATION OF THE MAGI

Iconographical Analysis: di Nardo, "Adoration of the Magi"
The painting "Adoration of the Magi" by di Nardo portrays the three Magi approaching \the
baby Jesus and the Virgin Mary. However, there is much more to it than just this familiar
scene from Judeo-Christian lore. When approaching this painting in order to analyze it
iconographically, it is necessary to first look at all aspects of the form. If this
aspect is ignored, it provides for an incomplete analysis of the painting. Once this is
looked at, the iconography of the painting becomes much clearer, and it is easier to
compare the painting to the actual biblical text from which it was derived (Gospel of St.
Matthew 2:1 - 2:12). 
When approaching the painting the first thing I noticed was the odd perspective. There
are several vanishing points. Also, all of the figures seem to be placed on one plane.
Because of this, the two figures that represent Jesus and Mary seem to be hovering
weirdly above the ground. This, I believe, draws the viewer's attention to these two
figures, since they are the main focus of the painting. 
Due to the influence of my culture, I recognized the figures as Jesus and Mary
immediately. However, despite this, there are a few indicators as to who the people
represented in the painting are. When viewing the painting, it is obvious that the
figures of mother and child are the main point because the gazes of all of the people in
the represented center on the child, including the mother's. Also, the weird hovering
effect also directs the viewer's attention to these two figures. Both Mary and Jesus have
halos, but this is not necessarily a distinguishing factor seeing as how there are also
four other figures in the painting that have halos. However, the halo that surrounds the
head of the baby Jesus has a slightly different pattern than those that the other figures
possess. This lets you know that for whatever reason, this child is set apart from all
other figures in the painting. So, even if the viewer is of another culture or religion
and doesn't see the significance of the female in the picture being clothed in blue and
red, or the significance of the "blessing" position in which the baby is holding his
hand, he can see that for some reason, this child is being distinguished from all other
people in the painting. 
Another aspect of the form that draws your attention to the Virgin and Jesus is the
triangular set up of these two figures along with Joseph and another Magus. The triangle
that is formed has Mary and Jesus at the peak, yet again, drawing the viewer's attention
to these two figures and reinforcing the fact that they are of some significance. 
When comparing the painting to the text in the Bible that describes the same meeting of
the Magi with the baby Jesus and Mary, there are several differences. There are certain
things that I noticed that not only go contrary to the painting, but to popular culture's
idea of this story. 
First, in the Bible, the Magi are referred to as, chief priests and teachers of the law.
They were not "kings" as they are often referred to in Christian culture. In fact, in di
Nardo's depiction, all of the Magi are wearing crowns, showing this misunderstanding.
Another thing that is assumed by di Nardo in his painting, as well as by popular culture
is that there were three Magi. There is nothing mentioned in Matthew 2:1 - 2:12 that
makes reference to there being exactly three Magi. What I noticed that might have lead to
this misconception, however, is that the Magi brought gifts of "gold, incense and myrrh."
This is the only thing that I saw that could have lead to the belief that there were
three Magi - one Magus for each gift. There are also extra people in the painting whom I
could not identify. There is no mention of anyone in the bible besides Jesus, Mary and
the Magi. There is not even any mention of Joseph who is clearly depicted. 
Also, the gifts that the Magi are holding in the painting by di Nardo, are all the same
and look as though they are gold, rather than gold, incense and myrrh. Whether these are
merely containers with the true gifts inside of them, I do not know, but even if they
are, this still strays from the original biblical story, because it gives no mention of
the gifts being presented in golden cases. 
Another aspect that is different in di Nardo's painting than it is in the Bible, is that
in the painting, the Magus that bows down to worship Jesus has removed his crown and
placed it on the ground in front of Jesus. There is no mention of this in the Bible. This
goes along with the misrepresentation of the Magi as kings or Wise Men. There is also an
additional part added by di Nardo that is not mentioned in the Bible. The Bible simply
states that the Magi "saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and
worshiped him." (Matthew 2:11) However, di Nardo portrays one Magus bowing down and
kissing the baby Jesus' feet. 
Another outstanding difference between the Bible and di Nardo's depiction of the story is
that when the Magi go to pay respects to Jesus, he, Mary and Joseph are living in a house
at that time. They did not visit Jesus on the night of his birth in a manger, contrary to
yet another convention. Di Nardo clearly portrays the scene as taking place in a manger,
shown by the prominent horse and cow placed centrally in the picture. It is also clear
that the scene is taking place out of doors because there are grasses and weeds growing
out of the ground. The Bible clearly states that the Magi went into a house, showing that
this was not the newborn Jesus that they were visiting, but a child who was several
months old. 
There is also one detail mentioned in the biblical version that di Nardo, for whatever
reason, chose to leave out of "Adoration of the Magi." The Bible makes a big point that
the Magi followed a star to find Jesus, and that the start stopped over the house where
the baby Jesus was. However, in di Nardo's representation, the sky is clear and golden. 
The several differences between the painting and the actual story in the Bible show the
vast misconceptions (or if these were not misconceptions, at least misrepresentations) of
di Nardo when painting this picture. However, these misconceptions were not di Nardo's
alone. Whether these were commonly held beliefs at the time that "Adoration of the Magi"
was painted, I do not know. What I do know however, is that when I initially started
looking at the painting I did not notice anything "wrong" with it. In fact, I was going
to change my selection on the belief that the painting was "too straight forward." It was
not until I started carefully looking at the notes I had taken about the picture and the
notes I had taken about the verses in Matthew that I noticed these subtle differences. I
had never read that section of the Bible before and through years of Christmas songs, and
setting up the manger with Wise Men and the baby Jesus in my living room at Christmas
time, I had come to believe that that there were three Wise Men. They were "three kings
from Bethlehem." They visited Jesus in the manger with the cows and the sheep. This shows
that what is conventionally believed is not necessarily accurate. We see this clearly in
"Adoration of the Magi," which initially looks perfectly okay to the popular
Judeo-Christian eye, but upon closer inspection holds many of the common misconceptions
of the three Wise Men.