ther than gold, incense and myrrh. Whether these aremerely containers with the true gifts inside of them, I do not know, but even if they are,this still strays from the original biblical story, because it gives no mention of the giftsbeing presented in golden cases. Another aspect that is different in di Nardo's painting than it is in the Bible, is that in thepainting, the Magus that bows down to worship Jesus has removed his crown and placedit on the ground in front of Jesus. There is no mention of this in the Bible. This goesalong with the misrepresentation of the Magi as kings or Wise Men. There is also anadditional part added by di Nardo that is not mentioned in the Bible. The Bible simplystates that the Magi "saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down andworshiped him." (Matthew 2:11) However, di Nardo portrays one Magus bowing downand kissing the baby Jesus' feet. Another outstanding difference between the Bible and di Nardo's depiction of the story isthat when the Magi go to pay respects to Jesus, he, Mary and Joseph are living in a houseat that time. They did not visit Jesus on the night of his birth in a manger, contrary to yetanother convention. Di Nardo clearly portrays the scene as taking place in a manger,shown by the prominent horse and cow placed centrally in the picture. It is also clear thatthe scene is taking place out of doors because there are grasses and weeds growing out ofthe ground. The Bible clearly states that the Magi went into a house, showing that thiswas not the newborn Jesus that they were visiting, but a child who was several monthsold. There is also one detail mentioned in the biblical version that di Nardo, for whateverreason, chose to leave out of "Adoration of the Magi." The Bible makes a big point thatthe Magi followed a star to find Jesus, and that the start stopped over the house where thebaby Jesus was. However, in di Nardo's representation, the sky is clear and golden. The several di...
