Balthazar: A Black African King in Medieval and Renaissance Art

$40.00 at The Getty Museum.

Edited by Kristen Collins and Bryan C. KeeneWith an introduction by Henry Louis Gates Jr. This abundantly illustrated book examines the figure of Balthazar, one of the biblical magi, and explains how and why he came to be depicted as a Black African king. According to the Gospel of Matthew, magi from the East, following a star, traveled to Jerusalem bearing precious gifts for the infant Jesus. The magi were revered as wise men and later as kings. Over time, one of the three came to be known as Balthazar and…