About this print

Wise Men on Camels, Matthew 2:10

A long road through the hills at night, three riders swaying on their camels, and a single bright star showing them where to go.

What is painted

The path winds up and down through soft hills, and along it ride three travelers on camels, one behind the other, small against the size of the landscape. Far ahead, a little town sits on a rise, a few roofs and walls in the distance. Above it all shines one star, brighter than everything else in the sky.

The colors are night blues and beige, with a light mist lying in the folds of the hills. The verse is included: “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy”, with the reference Matthew 2:10.

The joy of the magi

Matthew tells how wise men came from the east to Jerusalem asking, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east.” After an uneasy meeting with King Herod, they set out for Bethlehem, and the star went before them until it came and stood over where the young child was. Verse 10 is their reaction: not quiet satisfaction but joy piled on joy.

Matthew's Greek is emphatic, and the King James translators kept that weight with “exceeding great joy”. These were foreigners who had traveled a long way on the strength of a sign, and here the sign was confirmed. In the next verse they come into the house, see the child with Mary his mother, fall down and worship him, and offer gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Matthew never says there were three of them, nor that they rode camels or were kings. The number three came from the three gifts, and the camels from the long journey; both have been part of Christmas art for centuries, and the painting follows that tradition.

For Christmas, Epiphany, and a new home

This print is a natural piece of Christmas decor for an entryway, a mantel or a living room, and it can stay up until Epiphany on January 6, when many churches remember the visit of the magi. It is also a thoughtful housewarming gift, a picture of travelers arriving at last where they were meant to be.

This Christian wall art is printed to order in the US on heavy archival matte paper, shipped free within the United States and sent unframed, in sizes from 5x7 to 24x36 plus metric and A sizes. A digital file is available if you would like to print it for a card. In a small size, the Christian poster sits well on a mantel among candles and greenery.

The Christmas and Nativity collection follows the whole story, from the shepherds above Bethlehem to the stable. Read Matthew 2 and what it means