The Meeting of the Three Kings, with David and
(5000-1701)

In a barren, mountainous landscape, the three wise kings Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar meet to continue their journey to Bethlehem. Heralds on prancing horses blare trumpets to proclaim the unification of humankind at the birth of . On the peaked mountains above, the kings appear again at an earlier moment. Their diminutive figures stand or kneel, watching for the star that will lead them to their king. In the right and left corners of the , and hold scrolling banners inscribed with the prophecies of the Adoration of the . The appears on the other side of this panel. Borne aloft by musical angels, the slowly ascends to be crowned by God the Father above. Circles of colors--yellow, pink, and blue--radiate from her, ending with clouds painted in each corner of the . An wing functions like a door to a cabinet. Artists often painted both sides of a wing so that a picture would be visible whether the "door" was opened or closed. Because this panel is painted on two sides, it may have once formed part of such a wing.

Oil and gold leaf on panel (before 1480)

by Master of the St. Bartholomew Altarpiece (Netherlandish, active about 1475-1510)