Fragment of Sarcophagus Lid with the Adoration of the Magi

4th century
Museo Pio Cristiano, Vatican City

Only the first of the Magi has survived the breakage. He hands a wreath to the child with his left hand while pointing with his right to what must have been a star. As she will for many centuries into the future, Mary sits on a throne, her feet on a footrest and the child in her lap. The child is not swaddled but dressed in clothing that mimics that of his mother. One might guess that the figure behind the throne is St. Joseph.

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Photographed at the museum by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.