From magicians to kings
Throughout his career Rubens painted many representations of this pious and yet picturesque theme from the New Testament. It is one of the most frequent religious themes in his oeuvre, featuring two groups: the Adoration of the Shepherds and the Adoration of the Magi. The altarpiece at the St. Michael’s abbey is of the second kind.
It represents a yearly event that takes place on 6th January or on the first Sunday of the New Year, namely the Feast of the Epiphany or the Manifestation of God, as told in the bible by the apostle Matthew (Matthew 2:1-18). Sent by King Herodes and guided by a star, the three wise men go in search for the Messiah and offer Him presents. The fact that the there were three wise men – who have also been called magicians or astrologers – is deduced from the gifts that they took: gold, incense and myrrh. The first one to make this conclusion was probably the early Christian author Origen (approx. 185 - 254).
The Bible passage does not mention anything about them being kings coming from the different points of the compass. Elements like these are based on Bible typologies and later additions. Typologies are the interpretation of some characters and stories in the Old Testament foreshadowing the New Testament – in this case, the prophet Isaiah’s prediction:
Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. (Isaiah 60: 3)
and a passage from psalm 72: 10-11:
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts. May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service.
Both texts were part of the office for the Feast of the Epiphany. The interpretation of Matthew’s source text further evolved. From the Middle Ages onwards, people believed that the kings not only represented different times but also the different continents known in those days (Asia, Africa and Europe). Therefore, one of the three wise men was represented with a Moorish appearance, as a personification of the African continent.
The kings’ names – Melchior, Casper and Balthazar – were also adopted at a later period, from the early Middle Ages onwards. Their individual identification varied depending on the region and period. Sometimes the African king was Balthazar, or sometimes Casper.
Attributes of the kings
Something similar happens to their attributes. In this case, it is the oldest king who gives the newborn Son of God the gold (Fig. 5). He strides forward in his beautiful, red coat, adorned with gold brocade. With both hands he offers gold coins on a plate with a pedestal and a lid that he holds in his left hand.
At the back, in the middle, is the Moorish king beholding the newborn full of awe. He is holding a plate with myrrh, and wearing a sash around his waist and a turban on his head. This monarch’s exotic appearance has clear similarities to the same character in the Adoration preserved at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon (1618 - 1619) (Fig. 7).
There are also similarities to a portrait that Rubens made of the Antwerp merchant Nicolas the Respaigne (1619 - 1620), and that is now preserved at the Museum of Kassel (Germany) (Fig. 8). The man was born in Venice, travelled a lot to the East, and also visited Jerusalem. He was a Knight of the Holy Grave and was renowned for his numerous pious edifications.