The

Black Magus an Introduction

Michael Ohajuru
http://about.me/michaelohajuru

PAGE 1 |

Good Afternoon ladies and gentleman for the next few moments I am going to examine the presence of Black Magus in this remarkable piece of an Early Sixteenth Century English Gothic Church.

This is a ten minute intro into an image that took nearly 1500 years to develop , so bear with me as I make great leaps in time.

I will start by telling you what it is, then give you some idea how the image of the Black Magus arrived in Devon in the 16th century, finishing by telling you what that image meant at the time and perhaps what it means to us today in the 21st century

Lets consider what it is....

It is part of a Churchs Rood Screen supported The Rood The Cross.

The Rood Screen separated the chancel - the holiest part of the church where the priest conducted the mass at the alter from the nave which contained the congregation: separating the spiritual from the secular.

PAGE 2 |

The screens had lavish decorative schemes made of saints and biblical scene such as the Adoration of the Magi the three kings visiting the infant Jesus.

Most Roods or crosses and many Rood screens were destroyed during the Reformation. This piece only survives as it was cut off at some time from its original Rood Screen perhaps during the Reformation Through comparison with surviving Rood screens still in their original churches we believe that it was made for a church somewhere in Devon, sometime in the early sixteenth century.

How did the image of the Black magi reach early sixteenth century Devon ?

This is a complex and intriguing conflation and inflation of Biblical study, European courtly practice, artistic tradition and some myths....

The Adoration story is found only in one Gospel - Matthew chapter 2 - were just two parts of the Adoration story are found the virgin and child and the star there is no mention of the kings , their numbers, the land they came from their names , ages or physical appearance. Matthew only mentions Magi or wise men from the east bringing gifts of gold , frankincense and myrrh.

PAGE 3 |

At first absent detail was filled in from the old Testament as Biblical scholars tried to validate the events of the New Testament from prophesies from the Old. The Three Kings was a logical assumption based on the three gifts and several Old testaments references to three kings visiting David King of the Jews. By the twelfth century they had names and ages: Casper, Melchior and Balthazar representing the three ages of man elderly man, mature man and youth.

To trace the black presence we need to look at what was happening in European royal courts at the time. The black presence at European courts can be traced back to musicians in Islamic courts of the tenth century whose playing announced the arrival of the ruler: in the 11th century the Normans copied these Islamic traditions which in turn were copied during the twelfth and thirteenth century by the Holy Roman Empire which ruled Europe from Germany.

That black musical presence at court eventually made its way to the English Sixteenth century Tudor Court of Henry Eighth the black trumpeter John Blanke.

The presence of the Black magus is further complicated by myths behind two blacks legendary Ethiopian ruler Prester John and the Bibles Queen of Sheba.

What is certain is that Cologne Germany played a central role in the fourteenth century in portraying one of the Magi as Black. Three pieces of evidence point to this

PAGE 4 |

fact - the patron saint of the city was the black Saint Maurice , the city's coat arms had three kings, one which was black and the iconic portrayal of the Black Magus originated in Cologne.

The starting point for the Black magi image moving beyond Germany was the work of German born Flemish artist Hans Memling. He copied and transposed the youthful, flamboyant Magi found in the iconic, famous altarpiece of his master Jan van der Wyden into an equivalent ostentatious youth but this time a black Magus. Memling did several versions of the work, Memlingss Adoration iconography was copied by other Flemish artist which in turn was were copied and engraving made and these too were copied and sold to wider audience.

This work spread the image to the remotest villages and parish churches thru dozens of sculptured and painted copies of copies which in the end were hardly distinguishable from craftwork. So, by the end of the fifteenth century 100 years yrs later and 1200 kilometers distant - the image of the Black Magus arrived in Devon.

PAGE 5 |

Resulting in the work we see here a crude representation of Black by an artist who had probably seen a Black person, he simply making another a copy of a copy based on artistic tradition.

What that image meant at the time and what it has to say to us today in twenty first century England?

At the time the Adoration represented the Epiphany - 6th January - which was one of the major Holy days of the Christian calendar as it celebrated the visitation of the first Gentiles to the infant Christ. The Adoration was important as it also presented the relationship between two principle power bases ruling the common man at the time : The Church which took tithes from the congregation represented by Christ And The State with took taxes from that same congregation represented by the Kings

The State paid homage to the Church Man bowed down before God.

The image's importance was enhanced as it represented The Church welcoming Blacks , bringing the whole of mankind together as a manifestation of the Golden Age before the End Times written about in Revelations.

There is however darker side to that positive welcoming Biblical interpretation blackness was seen as the mark of Noah's curse on the descendants of Ham - a justification for black slavery.

PAGE 6 |

At the time blacks were known as slaves which gave them an inferiority enshrined in law. Blacks were further differentiated as they were not civilized as defined by Aristotle who considered the civilized aka Europeans as living in cities , having laws, a written history, rules on inheritance and marriage with the use of dress as a status indicator devoid these attributes in the eyes of Europeans blacks were considered barbarians.

Thus the Black Magus is problematic as at the time no African king had visited Europe and the black is considered a slave and barbarian yet here he is as king or Magus strutting his stuff at the spiritual and secular centre of the church in 16th century Devon on a rood screen.

There is a cultural divide between the Black Magus and the White Magi can be seen in number of subtle but telling elements of his portrayal.

The Black Magus has his attributes to denote who he is and what his image meant at the time.

His cultural position is implied thru his position, dress, mannerism all working together to underline his exoticism, otherness.

The Black magus is invariably last in line behind the two white magi, his is depicted as flamboyant youth wearing the most fashionable clothing and much gold and most

PAGE 7 |

telling of all of his exoticism , his otherness is seen in his earring so profound in denoting his slave origins that no white magus from the period has ever been found to be wear an earring!

This image is still with us today.

The image of the Black magus with crown and his iconic earring can be found on the coat of Pope Benidict the current Pope reflecting the common German origin of the Pope and the Black Magus.

Yes physically he is part of the Adoration scheme but culturally his ethnicity separates him from other two - that divide is signified not just by his colour but his position, dress and that earring!

Some historians have argued his presence helped to define whiteness in Europe as being civilized when compared to the uncivilized, barbaric blacks who even as kings were different, exotic - other - not one of us.

PAGE 8 |

If we look again at the Black Magus we can see a young, fashionably dressed youth with much gold isn't that we see around us today so perhaps that's because Blacks came to be accepted as they were expected to dress and act flamboyantly wearing much gold and that earring - that cultural requirements continues , thriving to this day and we can we see the Black Magus on the streets of Devon (and London) today!

PAGE 9 |

PAGE 10 |