De aanbidding van de drie koningen
<SPAN lang=EN-GB>Depictions of events surrounding the birth of Christ were very popular in the seventeenth century. The adoration of the three kings was a particularly favourite theme. As a devoted Catholic, Abraham Bloemaert painted various versions of this event. Following the reformation, Catholic church services were barely tolerated in Utrecht. It is not surprising, then, that several of Bloemaert’s religious commissions came from the Catholic southern provinces. It is not known who commissioned the creation of <I>The adoration of the Magi.</I> Here, Mary is holding the Christ child on her lap, while Joseph looks on from behind the corner of the stable. The child stretches its hand out to Melchior, who is offering a chalice filled with golden coins, symbolising Christ’s kingship. The elderly king is wearing a gorgeous choir cape made of red velvet brocade with a pattern of flowering pomegranates. The pomegranate is a symbol of the resurrection. An early sixteenth-century chasuble has been preserved made of exactly the same material. Bloemaert must have used the chasuble, or possibly the choir cape that went with it, as an example. <BR><BR> <P dir=ltr align=left></P> <P dir=ltr align=left>Behind Melchior we see a middle-aged Balthazar bending towards the baby boy. The myrrh that he holds refers to the death of the redeemer. Caspar is the youngest of the three, and his gift consists of frankincense, symbolising divinity. Aside from the three age periods, the three kings also represent the three human races and the three continents that were familiar in the Middle Ages. The white Melchior represents Europe, the brown Balthazar represents Asia, and Caspar, depicted here as a Moor, stands for Africa. This symbolism demonstrates that Christ has appeared to the whole of humanity, of all nations and ages.</P> <P dir=ltr align=left>In between the heads of Balthazar and Caspar we see the face of a young man with moustache and pointed beard. This figure has been interpreted as a self-portrait, yet Bloemaert was already aged 58 when he made this painting, and it is improbable that he would paint a much younger version of himself. The figure is more likely the person who commissioned the painting. The painting has been shortened on the right-hand side, as is revealed by a copy made of the original in the atelier and by a preliminary sketch for the painting, which is also part of the collection of the Centraal Museum.</P></SPAN>
