It has become a bit of a tradition for this site to end the Christmas celebrations on an arty note dedicated to the feast of the Epiphany (6th January) that officially closes the Christmas season.
This celebration of the manifestation of Jesus to the Gentiles and the visit of the Magi to the Baby Jesus has often been represented by painters. In previous posts we looked at works by famous artists showing the Adoration of the Magi, three wise men who followed the eastern star - maybe a comet or a bright planet - that they thought would lead them to the birth of a great prophet. Guided by the star they arrived in Bethlehem and carried their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Baby Jesus.
Last year we looked at two representations of the adoration by Hieronymus Bosch, and for this year let's retain the juxtaposition scheme and look at two versions of the Adoration of the Magi by Diego Velázquez and by Francisco de Zurbarán.
The former (painted in 1619 and made for an altarpiece) shows three kings presenting gifts to the Christ child: Melchior, who kneels in the foreground; Balthazar, who stands behind him wearing a red cape and a lace collar; and Caspar, who appears between the other two.
Commissioned by the Carthusians of Jerez, Zurbarán's painting (1639-40) was part of a monumental altarpiece that featured four paintings depicting the Infancy of Christ.
The composition of the painting is reminiscent of Velázquez's adoration, but Zurbarán moves from it to create a scene characterised by rich costumes with the oldest Magi, Melchior, in a golden damask cape reminiscent of the textiles Zurbarán painted for the dress of Santa Casilda and the robe of Saint Ambrose, while in Velázquez the Magi wear plain serges, textiles that point to monastic robes rather than to the attires of wealthy men (still the folds on which the textiles fall in Velázquez's paintings are mesmerisingly beautiful and simply sublime).
So, while the composition of the figures is the same in both the paintings with the Magi kneeling before Jesus and presenting him with gifts, the illusions created by the textiles employed in the two artworks contribute to give the two paintings a different tone and mood.
If you like elaborate textiles such as damasks and velvets, check out the ones by Tessitura Bevilacqua in Venice, a manufacturer famous for its handwoven soprarizzo (literally "over the curl") velvet in two different kinds of pile - curly velvet and cut velvet.
The textiles produced by Tessitura Bevilacqua, reproducing floral motifs, pomegranates or geometrical and abstract decorative patterns, are the most similar to the ones you may find in these paintings.
Besides, Tessitura Bevilacqua still produces samites, a heavy pure silk fabric characterised by a velvety hand and a satin-like shiny finish often decorated with motifs of animals.
This fabric consists of two warps, a ground warp that builds the pattern and a binding warp, and with at least two wefts woven so as to follow diagonal lines.
Originating in the Middle East, Iran and Syria, and spread throughout the Mediterranean area through Byzantium and the Arab domination, this fabric was considered the most precious of the Middle Ages. Venice also boasted its own corporation of Samitieri, the skilled weavers of samites, whose activity was regulated by a set of provisions contained in the Capitulare Samitariorum.
This textile often had rich decorations embroidered with gold and silver threads, so if you had to recreate the costumes for the Magi for a film, samites may be an intriguing (yet extremely expensive) option.
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