Today is the Feast of the Epiphany.
My post from last year quoting a sermon of Pope St Leo the Great on this great feast can be accessed at St Leo the Great on the Epiphany
The subject of the Adoration of the Magi has been a very popular one with patrons and artists over the centuries as is outlined and illustrated in the Wikipedia article which can be seen at Adoration of the Magi
Amongst the best known of these depictions are the fifteenth century Florentine works of the artists Gentile da Fabriano and Benozzo Gozzoli. Indeed the painting by Fabriano is almost certainly guaranteed to turn up at least once each year amongst one’s Christmas cards.
Both artists take delight in depicting in amazing detail a wonderfully crowded scene of people clad in rich and exotic fabrics with splendid accoutrements.
The Adoration of the Magi
Strozzi Altarpiece by Gentile da Fabriano 1423
Uffizi Florence
Image: My Catholic Life!
Wikipedia has an account of the artist, who lived from 1370 to 1427, at Gentile da Fabriano
The whole foreground of the altarpiece can be seen here:
Image: My Catholic Life!
The whole of the altarpiece can be seen here:
From the next generation, but also in Florence, are the impressive frescoes depicting the Journey of the Magi. Painted by Benozzo Gozzoli ( c.1421-1497 ) in 1459-61. In particular they commemorate and celebrate the Council of Florence of 1438-9 which achieved the fleeting reunion of the Western and Eastern Church.
The painting is stylistically similar to those of Fabriano and also in the International Gothic style. In a similar way to his altarpiece this fresco has a winding procession in the background.
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