“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.” (Matthew 2:11.)
Catacomb of Priscilla Magi c. 250 A.D.
Among the earliest examples of Christmas art are depictions of the Adoration of the Magi which appear in Roman catacombs and on sarcophagi of the pre-Constantinian period. It is interesting to note that at a time when the number of Magi was still unfixed, these appear as a trio — almost identical (unlike later representations in which they differed in age and race), dressed as Persians with Phrygian bonnets and pantaloons. In these early depictions, all pre-dating the establishment of Christmas celebrations in Rome, Mary and the baby Jesus are depicted in unsentimental ways — seated on a chair or throne as if receiving a diplomatic mission. The Magi process toward them bearing gifts, often on plates, with gold always the first to be offered. The presence of these representations on funereal art has been attributed to the notion of the dead, who are sometimes featured in their togas in the Magian procession, linking themselves to the Wise Men and seeking salvation at the hands of Jesus in return for the gifts they have brought.
In the fifth-century Roman church of Santa Maria Maggiore where the pope celebrates a mass every Christmas Day, the Magi are depicted both standing before Herod and offering gifts to the baby who is seated on a throne. In the sixth-century mosaics of the church of Sant’Apollinare in Ravenna we begin to see the three Magi as distinct in dress and age.
Ravenna mosaic c 550 A.D.
In Renaissance art the Adoration of the Magi and the Adoration of the Shepherds are often merged into one scene.