To describe Gentile da Fabriano’s “Adoration of the Magi” as “busy” might well be an understatement.
Completed in 1423, the masterpiece was originally an altarpiece commissioned by wealthy banker Palla Strozzi for his family chapel in the sacristy of the Church of Santa Trinita. Today, the painting is held in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.
The three wise men are dressed in extraordinarily rich, fashionable garments. They are accompanied by a multi-ethnic procession that includes exotic animals.
The painting was not designed to be taken in at a single glance. Instead, the viewer is enticed to return and look again and again. With each look, more is revealed.
There is an abundance of people and a curious menagerie. A close look reveals horses, the head of a lioness and even a monkey, though there are no camels.
The Magus kneeling in front of the infant raises a provocative question: Is he being blessed, or is he checking that the newborn is male? It is a visceral way of declaring that “the Word became flesh and dwells among us.”
The Feast of the Epiphany is a celebration of inclusion. The riot of persons and color in this painting encourages such a spirit.
Perhaps that is the reality of the feast—to return, to look again and to let the story of the Magi reveal itself further. And, if we dare, we must ask: “How inclusive is my Church?”