Adoration of the Magi

By the 15th century the three kings who came to Bethlehem were widely taken to stand for Europe, Asia and Africa, and for the ages of a man's life. The kings in this Viennese panel of around 1470 span those ages. The oldest, bald and grey, has set his crown on the floor and bends to kiss the Child's foot. A bearded king in his middle years kneels with his hands joined. The youngest, an African in a gold-patterned tunic and a jewelled crown, stands at the left in mid-stride, holding a covered vessel. Joseph holds one of the gifts, a golden cup, and wears a purse and a bunch of keys at his belt. The stable is a ruin of stone. An ox and a donkey look out from the shed, and small birds perch along the broken wall.