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Nicolas of Verdun, Adoration of the Kings, with Otto
IV, and the Baptism of Christ, Reliquary of the
Three Kings,
Cologne Cathedral,
c 1181.
The Shrine of the Magi, a large gilded and decorated triple
sarcophagus, is the largest reliquary in the western world.
The exterior is covered in a total of seven feet of gilded
silver and jewels. Images of Old Testament prophets line
the bottom while the twelve apostles decorate the top. It
is considered the high point of Mosan art. In 1864 the
shrine was opened and three skeletons were found inside; one of
a young man, another of a middle aged man, and the third of an
older man.
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I. The Magi in Cologne, Germany 1162-2012 |
Art provenance is the
documentation history of a work of art, its creation and ownership, that
establishes the works authenticity. There is no doubt that the
Shrine of the Magi was made by Nicolas of Verdun in the 12th century.
However, questions arise about the contents.
The last I remember from childhood
Christmas pageants were the Wise Men riding camels and singing
"We Three Kings of Orient Are."
after visiting the baby Jesus. How did the
remains of the Three Wise Men end up in Germany in a sarcophagus made in
12th century Belgium? To answer the question we must start with an
Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Fredrick Barbarossa.
Fredrick attacked the city
of Milan after the Milanese revolted from his rule. The city
surrendered on March 6, 1162, and was sacked on the emperor's
orders. Fredrick sent the relics of the Magi back to the Archbishop of
Cologne. As such relics had great religious significance they could
be counted upon to draw pilgrims from all over Christendom.
Occasionally, there was competition for such relics resulting in
theft or in the case of Mary Magdalene a dispute between the Cluniac
Benedictines of Vezelay and the Dominicans of Saint-Maxime that
occasioned a rash of miraculous literature supporting one or the
other site as the true repository of the saints relics. We
must remember, for medieval man faith made a relics, not the other
way around.
II. The Magi in Milan, 344-1162 |
The second question is, obviously, how did those bones find their way
to Milan? This account written almost nine hundred years after the
move,
states that the Relics of the Magi were
originally brought to Milan by Eustorgius I, Bishop of Milan, in 344 from
Constantinople.
At that time Eustorgius lived, Greek birth, a very
informed man, nobly and piously, of pleasing exterior, eloquently, for
the service to God quite
been suitable and in this service turned, a guard of the faith, and also
chaste, and a native from Constantinople, before the times of bishop
Saint Ambrose of Milan. He came as an ambassador of the
emperor Manuel to Milan, and the people of Milan selected him to bishop.
Therefore Eustorgius returned to Constantinople, said thanks to the
emperor and spoke: My father and emperor Manuel, I thanks you that you
have appreciated the honour towards me up to now and that you have sent
me into the holy city Milan, your metropolis. You should know that I
have achieved everything, faithfully and after your will, the deliveries
are always secured for you, but I am however the chosen one of the city,
because you, in honor of God and to praise his charitableness. I
unworthy one was urgent asked to return and to announce, what in the
view
on our God and on you your you faithfully resulted people have done at
me and like the people delegated these envoys with me to you. Intend
mine and instruct, what I am to do. The emperor answered: Become bishop,
worthy man. Eustorgius answers: I thank God and you; but allow, dearest
gentleman, that I can carry forward and can take away to the holy city
of Milan anything of the sanctuaries, which me liked, if God's benignity
permits it, in order to honour the church with holy relics, and as a
gratification for your tributary people. The emperor answers: Select,
receive, carry forward, which you would like. Be as if you are, or, is
it possible, become still better. Greet my people and announce that from
now on the whole delivery is issued. Thus Eustorgius went pleased, and
he manufactured a marmorean coffin with large effort, and put into it
the bodies of the Three Kings, who had brought Christus their gifts -
gold, frankincense and myrrh. With trouble under many nights in which he
was awake, and through God's assistance and amicability he transported
it towards Milan into the city. The sarcophagus became buried outside of
the city-wall closely beside the city in a church, which later was
sanctified to honor holy Eustorgius. Also there is a famous and very
holy source, where the neophytes had received the holy baptism, all
Christians pious veneration with dignity. ..."
-The Vita Beati Eustorgii Confessoris reports around the
year 1200
Note: the Emperor in Constantinople at that time was Constantios,
who ruled from 337-61 AD. Manuel I was a 12th century emperor.
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Sant Eustorigio, Milan |
Stone relief in
Sant Eustorigio. St Eustogio hauls the relics of the Three Magi to Milan |
By tradition, the remains of the Magi
were brought from Constantinople to Milan by Saint Eustorgio in an
ox-cart and enshrined in a Roman sarcophagus in the church named
after their transporter. Together with the holy relicts a craved
stone slab with the Latin inscription SEPVLCRVM TRIVM MAGORVM
(which can be translated as, Sepulcher of Three Magi) was brought
to Milan.
John of Hildesheim (born in 1310/1320, died in 1375) continues the story of the wise men:
A star appears above the cities in which the kings dwell just
before Christmas, indicating to them that their lives were nearing an
end.
"Then with one consent they built, at the Hill of Vaws, a fair and
large tomb, and there the three Holy Kings ... died and were buried in the
same tomb by their sorrowing people."
Assuming that this happened, that all three died at the same place at
the same time, then it happened in the mid-first century (since the kings
were adults in Bethlehem). If so, the kings had two centuries of rest
in their tomb before beginning yet another journey.
"Queen Helen...began to think greatly of the bodies of these
three kings, and she arrayed herself, and accompanied by many
attendants, went into the Land of Ind ... after she had found the bodies
of Melchior, Balthazar and Casper, Queen Helen put them into one chest
and ornamented it with great riches, and she brought them into
Constantinople ... and laid them in a church that is called Saint
Sophia".
There is no mention in Byzantine history of Helen bringing back
the bones of the Magi, only that, guided by Bishop Macarius of
Jerusalem, she found the True Cross in a cistern beneath a temple to
Aphrodite. Historians place St Helen's visit to the Holy Land around
327.
IV. Marco Polo and the Magi |
Marco Polo in his famous journey claimed that he was shown the three tombs
of the Magi at Saveh south of Tehran in the 1270s:
"In Persia is the
city called Saveh, from which the three Magi set out when they came to
worship Jesus Christ. Here, too, they lie buried in three sepulchres of
great size and beauty. Above each sepulchre is a square building with a
domed roof of very fine workmanship. The one is just beside the other. Their bodies are still whole, and they have hair and beards. One was
named Beltasar, the second Gaspar, and the third Melchior .." (Book i).
When he asked the inhabitants who the three kings were, he was told that
nobody knew exactly;
they were kings and the tombs had been there for many years. As Polo
continued his investigation about the Kings another story emerged; three days farther on, he found a town called
Kala Atashparastan, that is "Town of the Fire-worshippers".
" And that is no more than the truth; for the men of this town
do worship fire. And I will tell you why they worship it. The
inhabitants declare that in days gone by three kings of this country
went to worship a new-born prophet and took with them three
offerings - gold, frankincense, and myrrh - so as to discover
whether this prophet was a god, or an earthly king or a healer. For
they said : If he takes gold, he is an earthly king; if
frankincense, a god; if myrrh, a healer."
- And when they were come into the house, they
- saw the young child with Mary his mother, and
- fell down, and worshipped him and when
- they had opened their treasures, they presented
- unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
- -Matthew 2:11 KJ
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In the church calendar, this event is commemorated in
Western Christianity as the Feast of the
Epiphany (January 6). The
Orthodox Church commemorates the Adoration of the Magi on the
Feast of the Nativity (December 25). Christian iconography has
considerably expanded the bare account of the
Biblical Magi given in the second chapter of the
Gospel of Matthew (2: 1-22)
and used it make the point that Jesus was recognized, from his
earliest infancy, as king of the earth.
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Basilica
of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy. The Magi (Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar). 526
AD by the "Master of Sant'Apollinare".
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The mysterious, but simple account of the wise men in the Book of Matthew
evolves over the centuries to a full narrative saga of remarkable complexity.
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Giotto's 1305 fresco
'Adoration of the Magi' in the Arena Chapel in Padua. Notice the
comet. |
When commissioned by a church to produce an object for
worship, the artist was closely advised by clerics. The artist was
more like a modern architect who must work in harmony with the client who is paying the bill.
For two centuries the basic theme of the Magi story is maintained but
the increased level of sophistication and complexity is evident in this painting by Jan
Gossaert. The barn has become a ruined palace, but everyone is well
dressed. Mary, rather than the wife of a poor carpenter, is dressed as
the queen of heaven.
This large picture was painted as the altarpiece of the Lady
Chapel of the Abbey of St Adrian's, Geraardsbergen, near
Brussels. Behind the kneeling king, Caspar, stands
Melchior with a retinue of attendants. Balthazar is on the left,
and Gossaert has signed his name on the border of his headdress
and again on the collar worn by his attendant.
The dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit, descends to the infant
Christ from the brilliant star in the sky, and angels approach
from a great distance through a series of arches, giving the
scene a spectacular sense of space and depth.
St Joseph stands off to the side of the action. Artist
seem never know what to do with him, if he not leading a donkey.
Analysis of the Gossaert Painting
Over the centuries the Magi were given names and came to represent
the universality of Christianity; Caspar: Europe,
Balthasar:
Africa, Melchior: Asia.
On the capital above Caspar's head is a representation of the
Sacrifice of Isaac, which prefigures the Crucifixion. Though
there are nine angels in the upper half of the painting, which suggests that they represent the Nine Orders
of angels.
The text for many such paintings came from
The Golden
Legend. Accordingly, the star might represent
the Holy Ghost, or the angel that appeared to the shepherds, or
the newly-created body which returned to the underlying matter
after its mission was accomplished?. Because the shepherds in the distance appear to be looking
towards the star rather than at any of the angels, perhaps Gossaert favored the idea that the star is the angel, especially as
the dove, the embodiment of the Holy Spirit, is also present.
The gifts of the kings may be interpreted in various ways. The most popular interpretation is: gold for tribute,
frankincense for sacrifice, and myrrh for burying the dead. The gifts denoted Christ's roles as king,
God, and man.
The Adoration of
the Kings is from
Saint Matthew's
Gospel, 2:11 (see
below). The palatial
buildings are in
ruins
and are overgrown
with
plants.
The architecture seems
to act as a stage
set, providing
depth to the scene.
The frieze above the
Virgin bears a
relief of
dancing putti. Four
capitals are also decorated with
putti: at the top
left, above the head
of the first angel; at the top
right, above the
head of the angel in
pink; on
the left, between
the scroll and the
left wing of the
angel in green; and
on the right,
between the angel in
white and the
praying hands of the
angel in pink.
On
the capital above
the eldest king is a
relief of the
Sacrifice of Isaac
(Genesis 22: 9?13). Abraham seems to be
improbably
nude; the angel
grasps his right
hand; Isaac, who is
kneeling, is dressed
in a long robe; the
ram appears in front of
Isaac.
The floor is made
up of slabs of
colored chipped and
broken stone. The floor is made
up of slabs of
colored chipped and
broken stone
arranged in
geometrical
patterns, with weeds
between the stones.
The two dogs have
been adapted from
prints. The dog on
the right is from
Durer's ?Saint
Eustace?.
1) The
eldest king, Casper,
has offered
gold coins in a
golden goblet. The
Child takes one of
the coins in his
left hand. The cover
of the goblet,
inscribed with the
king's name: [L]E
ROII IASPAR, lies at
the feet of the
Virgin; the goblet
is ornamented with
columns, lions and
roundels of men?s
heads. In front of
Caspar are his hat and his scepter,
which incorporates
two babies holding ropes
and a figure of
Moses holding the
Ten Commandments.
2) The second
king, Melchior
stands behind Caspar
and carries his
frankincense in a
golden vessel. Behind him are four
attendants.
3) The third
king, Balthasar,
approaches from our
left. His elaborate
hat is inscribed
with his name,
BALTAZAR, and with
the artist's
signature. Balthasar's boots
are made of leather
so thin that his
toes and toenails
can de
distinguished.
Around his neck he
wears a fringed
stole inscribed with
the opening words of
the
'Salve regina
misericordiae', a
prayer or hymn to
the Virgin. His
gift of myrrh is
contained in a golden
vessel ornamented at
the top with three
figures of putti. Behind him
are three attendants;
the black attendant wears a
silver collar
inscribed with the
painter's name.
4) Through the
window on the left
are two men in
exotic clothes,
perhaps attendants
of the kings. On the
far right, the
horseman wearing a
turban and holding a
heavy ornamented
hammer is another of
the retinue, along
with other mounted
attendants who appear in
the distance
5) Between Balthasar
and the Virgin,
is Saint Joseph
dressed in a red
cloak. Behind
him, the head of the
ox appears through a
doorway in which
stands an angel.
6) The donkey,
between the Virgin
and Caspar, is
eating weeds. Directly behind
Caspar are two
shepherds. The one
on our left carries
a musical instrument
similar to a
recorder; the other
holds a straw hat
and a tool of some
kind. Hanging from his
neck on a twisted
cord is a small horn.
The four men between
the shepherd and the
Virgin are more
shepherds, and
behind them even
more
shepherds receiving the news
of Christ?s birth.
7) Above,
Nine Angels are floating. The two
on the left
wear headbands
and the second holds
a scroll inscribed:
Gloria in excelcis deo.
The angels and not
like some Biblical
angels described as
fiery wheels or with
several heads, but
are humanized and in
no way frightening.
8)
At the top edge of
the picture the star that guided
the kings brightly
shines. Below the
star hovers the
dove of the Holy Ghost.
End Note: For a hilarious take on the Magi story
being moved from Milan to Koln see chapter 10, "Baudolino finds the Magi
and canonizes Charlemagne" in Umberto Eco's novel, "Baudolino".
Agents of Fredric Barbarossa discover the Magi's well preserved bodies
in the church during the sack of Milan. But as the bodies are dressed in
clothes like those depicted in the Basilica of
Sant' Apollinare Nuovo (above), the thieves don't think anybody
back in Germany will believe they are the Magi. So they dress the
corpses in holy vestments worn by contemporary bishops and place the
bodies in wooden coffins for transport to Cologne.
Also, for another artist's take on the Magi story see
Bosch's "Epiphany".
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