‘Lumen requirunt lumine’. Marsilio Ficino, Nicola Cusano e l’iconografia dei Magi nel Rinascimento

The present article investigates the the

iconological themes of the Three Magoos in Renaissance

culture, through a comparison between Philosophy

and Art. The topic of the Magoos is widely

interpreted by variuos artists between XV and XVI

centuries; the article purposes to interpretate a set of

artistic works, by observing the theoretical contributions

of the major Neoplatonic thinkers of Fifteenth

century: Marsilio Ficino and Nicholas of Kues. Ficino

and Cusanus composed two specific works focused

on the theological and philosophical issues of

the Gosple episode of the Magoos. Specifically, Ficino

composed the libellus entitled De stella magorum

and Nicholas of Kues preached a Sermo in 1453 on

the question: “Ubi est qui natus est Rex Iuaedorum?”.

Through an analysis of these writings, the article develops

a comparison between Ficino’s conceptions

and Italian Art, on one hand; and between Nicholas

of Kues and Flemish art on the other hand. Finally,

the astrological theory (Ficino) and the tradition of

the Devotio Moderna (Cusanus) reveal a strong link

with the theme of Magoos, offering unprecedented

hermeneutic paths in the field of sacred Renaissance

art.