Adoration of the Magi

"Adoration of the Magi", mid-1400s

Antonio Vivarini's painting, "Adoration of the Magi", is visually stunning and seems full of layered meaning. But perhaps the most significant thing about this painting is that it provides a detailed snapshot of the scene with the Magi as if it was taking place in Vivarini's own era, which was the 15th century...

So, what did Vivarini mean to convey by the inclusion of a horse's ass in the painting? I do not know but it hardly seems incidental that it's included in the composition. But what's more interesting to me is the painting's depiction of the Holy Trinity. This is a beautiful image of divine energies flowing from the creator/source to the material world.