Fotoreproductie van een prent naar een schilderij, voorstellende de drie wijzen zien de ster before 1871

This photogravure, whose author remains unknown, captures the biblical scene of the three magi gazing upon the star. The star itself serves as a potent symbol, guiding not just the magi, but humanity towards enlightenment and the divine. Consider how, across cultures, stars have always been more than celestial bodies. They are omens, guides, and symbols of destiny. This iconography echoes through time, from ancient Babylonian star divination to the Renaissance, where stars signified divine favor or intervention, influencing the course of human events. The act of looking upwards carries its own weight. It signifies hope, aspiration, and a yearning for something beyond the earthly realm. In the collective unconscious, it taps into our primal desire for transcendence. This same motif can be found in countless images across various cultures, each reflecting a fundamental human aspiration to rise above our immediate circumstances. It shows us how symbols evolve through history, constantly finding new contexts.