Three Wise Men with King Herod

This capital belongs together with the series of historiated capitals from N2B3 to N5B6, which contain scenes from the stories of the Virgin and the infancy of Christ.

In this capital the Three Wise Men are represented with the King Herod. On the south side of the capital sits Herod enthroned with a now lost scepter in his right hand. The other three capital sides are each occupied by one of the magi.

The use of a schematic, almost uniform figural type for the Three Wise Men, who all hold the same vessels with the same gesture and bend their left leg, is evidence of how such little artistic variability of the figural and gestural motifs results in, on the other hand, the impression of a particular unity of the scenes distributed across the four sides.

Virgin vessels three-wise-men scepter magi leg King infancy Herod gesture Christ