fragments, though incomplete, still demonstrates
what Hatfield would call an ���intricate structure in which
complementary themes and several levels of meaning
are conjoined���.25 Even Vasari, who was not a fan of
Botticelli, admits that:
Nor can the beauty Sandro revealed through the
heads in this painting [the Del Lama altarpiece]
be described: they are turned in various poses ���
some in profile, some in three-quarter profile, and
some gazing downward ��� with a wide variety of
attitudes and expressions on the faces of young
and old alike, including all those imaginative
details that reveal the artist���s perfect mastery of
his craft. He distinguished between the retinues
of each king so that it is clear which servants
belong to each king.26
We can see an equally sophisticated retinue in the two
outside fragments, which draws the viewer into the
narrative. The almost luxurious sophistication of the
scene contrasts with the relative pictorial emptiness of
the Gospel according to Matthew in which the relevant
passage reads as follows:
When they (the Magi) saw the star, they rejoiced
with exceeding great joy. And when they were
come into the house, they saw the young
child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and
worshipped him: and when they had opened
their treasures, they presented unto him gifts;
gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.27
HYLAND
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