Early medieval legends reported that one of the three kings who paid homage to the newborn Christ Child in Bethlehem was from Africa. But it would be nearly one thousand years before artists began representing Balthazar, the youngest of the magi, as a Black African. This exhibition explores the juxtaposition of a seemingly positive image with the painful histories of Afro-European contact, particularly the brutal enslavement of African peoples.
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Selected Works
Events
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Publication
Toward a Global Middle Ages: Encountering the World through Illuminated Manuscripts
Edited by Bryan C. Keene
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Audio
Free GettyGuide®
Multimedia Player
Multimedia Player
Explore how Africa and Black Africans were represented in art of the Middle Ages and Renaissance with curator Tyree Boyd-Pates and historian Nicholas Jones.
Pick up a multimedia player free of charge in the Museum Entrance Hall.
Exhibition Resources
Discover more about the works featured in the exhibition.