Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) Adoratiion of the Magi (1481) Uffizi Gallery, Florence

Gentile da Fabriano (1370-1427) Adoratiion of the Magi (1423) Uffizi Gallery, Florence

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) Adoratiion of the Magi (1504) Uffizi Gallery, Florence

Gold, Myrrh, Frankincense Gold, myrrh, frankincense— gifts Three Magi brought to the Christ Child guided by the Bethlehem Star. Christmas Day 1980— I'm watching NBC News with Tom Brokaw giving prices of gold hitting all-time high $850/oz in January, now $600/oz, myrrh is at $78/oz & frankincense at $55/oz. I'm more interested in the Magi's gifts and look up Webster's to learn that myrrh is a perfume and frankincense, an incense. Gold, myrrh, frankincense— solid, liquid, vapor or ice, water, steam— and Christ Child is H2O— the essence of those gifts from the Three Magi. Suddenly an epiphany— if the Three Kings realized this, they'd prostrate immediately to baby Jesus with crowns off their heads. Searching through my shoeboxes of art postcards bought from European museums, I found a dozen cards of paintings on Adoration of the Magi. Only two had all three kings with their crowns off— my favorites, Leonardo da Vinci & Albrecht Dürer— They knew! They knew! as tears rolled down my face. Most artists showed the kings with their crowns on but great masters knew Christ was the King of kings such as Bosch, Botticelli, and Hans Memling. Three decades have passed since that epiphany— but the insight and illumined light of that day still burns brightly and is aflame in my heart.               Peter Y. Chou               Mountain View, 2-2-2015