\paperw19995 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \f1 This painting has been subject to a wide range of interpretations. In recent years, following the workÆs restoration, the t
endency has been to identify the three figures in the foreground as the Three Magi. According to a medieval legend, the Magi stand in front of a cave û here shown with a fig tree and an ivy shoot next to it, alluding to the wood of the cross û near a sp
ring, while they study the stars for clues about the coming of the Messiah.\par
Giorgione has deliberately concealed the identity of the Three Magi, presenting them as philosophers and making any interpretation of the image extremely difficult.\par
As
the sun sets in the west, bathing the hilltops in the distance with a warm and suffuse light, a glow coming from the east illuminates the figures, so that their clothes gleam in the reflected light, and betokens the coming Redemption.\par
The paintingÆs
colors are surrounded by sharp and elegant outlines, imparting a sculptural effect to the bodies of the three figures and revealing their psychological subtlety at the same time. There is a transition from the beautiful face of the young man with the s
extant who is absorbed in thought to the more reflective faces of the older Magi, who stand out in greater contrast against the dark backdrop of trees. Every detail is represented with the precision of a miniature: from the splendid sandals on the MagiÆ
s feet to the arid ground on which they are standing and the natural depiction of different tree species.
