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“These three are obviously
on an important mission,” says James Christensen, “dressed
in their finest clothes and all very serious, even the camel.
We’re not sure who they are but they each appear to be carrying
a special gift.”
Their magical golden boat, complete
with Moorish-inspired stone arches and a filigreed rudder, sports
a “lateen” sail common around the Mediterranean Sea
and other Mideast coastal waters. Is this ship floating or has
it run aground? Perhaps they are near Bethlehem . . . but it
looks a lot like northern Europe. Then again, this journey in
a spectacular vessel of imprecise ancestry across a Flemish landscape
might just be a jewel of a metaphor for life itself.
“These three wise men are
taking a shortcut,” says the artist with a twinkle in his
eye.
“There’s only one camel
on deck. The other two are below because they get seasick.” |