Here are 3 lesser known depictions of the Magi visiting Baby Jesus.
Matthew Chapter Two simply states that there were magi who came from the East however this got changed over the centuries to three wise men or kings based on a popular tradition made even more popular by artists and theologians who delighted in the idea of showing aristocrats kneeling to a baby.
However some artists even late in the Middle Ages knew magi were not kings.
I rather like Gerard David's Version which respects the popular tradition of three visitors but depicts them in robes that could equally be those of wealthy merchants or secular scholars although the "ethiopian" is shown in a courtiers or knights robes.
One of the earliest depictions of the Magi is this sculpture.
Finally a Byzantine version from Daphne monastery.
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