THE ADORATION OF THE MAGI...??

This clumsy scan of Botticelli`s La madonna della Melagrana is in the Uffici in Firenze, and I saw it in October of 2000. I bought a print of it and I believe I will put it on the wall soon; don`t know why I haven`t before, but I believe it is because I discovered the dusty print, and did not particularly remember possessing it. It is a miracle nonetheless! I have been looking for my favorite Adoration of Magi, (this print looks faded on this Wiki page) and I believe that Botticelli`s is my favorite, but I will have to look at many others. The story of the wisemen coming from the east to pay tribute to new born prophet is a familiar one to us all, but I am intrigued by it, and wonder if it might have some historical basis. i`m sure theologians have spilled buckets of ink over it, but I don`t know if I`m willing to wade through the scholarship. Maybe I`ll thumb through my Oxford Guide to the Bible for some info? I`ve found myself thinking much about Italy too after reading an article in Thursday`s New York Times about the malaise that exists there now. I sure would love to visit her again so that I could gaze on the art and enter the old churches for spiritual solace I would assume. The baby is holding the pomegranite and the Madonna is exquisitly saintly, and erotic too. This is the Neoplatonism in play, I should think! A fusion of eroticism and religion at once; the best of both worlds! That`s why I have often loved Sandro Botticelli more than any other artist. The idealization is even greater in his madonnas than Leonardo or Raphael`s, or better rendered perhaps. Okay, I found a link for the painting presented here, so that you can see it better.

I even did my own version a couple of years ago. I wanted mine to be primitive and Byzantine, and it looks like I got my wish! I forgot to rotate it a minute ago, so I hope you don`t mind studying it sideways! One Magi is but a pauper but the other is a wealthy merchant with a funny eastern hat. Oh well...I guess I need to search for other famous versions of this legend from the Good Book.