Bamberger Psalter, fol.8v-9r (Montage)

The Three Kings, or the Magis, arrive at the manger and present gifts of gold, frankincense, and
myrrh to Jesus. The spatial construction of this scene is very similar to the Annunciation miniature; the Magis enter into the frame from the left side of the miniature, and Mary, now with the baby Jesus,
remains on the right hand side. The infant Jesus sits on her lap, however, he is already mature in his clothes, which mimic the kings’ robes, and in his gesture of the hand of benediction that he extends over the Magi. In his left hand, he grasps a scroll, an allusion to his prescient knowledge of the kings’ adoration of the future Messiah.

Mary and Joseph present Jesus at the Temple of Jerusalem according to Jewish traditions of
childhood purification rites. The architecture of the miniature background clearly shows that this scene takes place in a temple. Two doves, brought to be sacrificed by the Holy Family, are seen on the altar in the middle.