The Magi.
Legend, Art and Cult

The Museum Schnütgen took the anniversary as an opportunity to hold a large special exhibiton. Throughout the centuries, the Magi have played a central role in art since the Three Wise Men were the first to recognise the Christ child as the Son of God. The exhibition brought together ivories, sculptures, paintings, manuscripts and works of treasury art from Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain that offer a particularly interesting interpretation of the subject and are artistically of especially high quality.

The earliest artwork of the exhibition was a 3rd century tomb slab from the Vatican Museum, one of the most recent was an 18th century Neapolitan nativity scene with about 300 figures from the Diözesanmuseum (Diocesan Museum) in Freising. Whether it was a 5th century ivory diptych from the Milanese Cathedral Treasury, prominent 10th and 11th century Ottonian book illuminations from libraries in Bremen, Rome and Göttingen or a unique 14th century Shrine Madonna from the Metropolitan Museum in New York – practically all of the exhibited works were in and of themselves already worth a trip to Cologne.

The earliest reliefs and objects still adhered to the traditions set by ruler portraits from Antiquity. However, the scene soon became imbued with almost fairytale-like qualities. The Wise Men mentioned in the Gospels became kings and the Virgin Mary in the stable of Bethlehem was transformed into a sumptuously clothed queen sitting upon a throne, presenting her divine child.

The image of the Mother of God enthroned grew out of the theme of the Adoration of the Magi. Since the 10th century at the latest, the representation of the Mother of God as the “Throne of Wisdom” became the most important cult image – next to the crucifix – to grace the interior of churches. Highlights in this section of the exhibition were especially precious examples of wooden and ivory sculpture, but also the stone Romanesque choir screens from the Rheinisches Landesmuseum (Rhenish State Museum) in Bonn.

The central theological significance of the Adoration of the Magi is reflected in compositions depicting the Crucifixion or the Easter image. The two themes are placed in juxtaposition in the artworks, be it on a 12th century book cover or in 14th and 15th century panel paintings. The exhibition featured a number of especially ornate examples.

Many representations use the star as a leitmotif to embody the cosmic dimension. These include the mitre from Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, one of many loans from the Musée de Cluny, and a diptych from the Museo del Bargello in Florence. The diversity and systematics of the renderings reached their apex during the era of the Gothic cathedrals, which the exhibition demonstrated through unique ivories and sculptures from the Musée du Louvre, among others.

Royal affluence, oriental splendour and exotic staffage predominated, particularly in paintings from the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The exhibition demonstrated this through prominent works from all over Europe. Several valuable and rare textiles and works of the goldsmith’s art, among them pieces from the Musée des Tissus in Lyon and the Grünes Gewölbe (Green Vault) in Dresden, made it possible to experience the portrayed objects three-dimensionally.

The special significance of the Magi for Cologne was also addressed by examining figures from the High Altar of Cologne Cathedral or from the Dreikönigenpförtchen (Magi Portal) by St. Maria im Kapitol.

The exhibition was documented in an extensive catalogue, published in a German and an English edition. We regret to inform you, however, that both editions are already sold out at our museum’s shop.