St Matthews's gospel relates how some wise men came from the east, looking for the new King of the Jews. Traditionally, these wise men were said to be magi, astrologers from the Persian court, who followed a new star believing it to be the sign of the birth of a new king. The star led them to Bethlehem, where they discovered Mary, Joseph and the baby Christ in the stable of an inn.
In the triptych, one of the magi points to the star in the sky, which is directly over the head of the Christ Child in the stable below. The brightness of the star is emphasised by its glowing red centre and by the rays from it, incised in the golden sky.
The star in the Adoration of the Magi has two significant aspects. Firstly, it was associated in early Christian times with the star of Jacob, which was prophesied as indicating the arrival of the Messiah, the promised deliverer of the Jews. Secondly, not only in antiquity was the appearance of a new star often associated with the birth of a new ruler, but also in Roman art the divinity of an Emperor was symbolised by a star over his head.
