MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE AMBROSIANA!

A large canvas representing the Adoration of the Magi, by painter Andrea Meldolla, known as Andrea Schiavone, i.e. “Slavic”, due to his Dalmatian origin, has been recently restored and displayed in a room of the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana.

A large twisted column, which seems to support nothing, divides the painting into two parts: on the left the Holy Family, with the little newborn Jesus receiving adoration from the eldest of the three Magi; on the right, a large part of the scene is occupied by the other characters of the nativity scene, represented in a sort of “swirl”, with an almost spiral movement, just like the large twisted column, where the two horses and some figures even seem to hover in the air. There is no doubt that Schiavone’s “mannerist” ability made this vortex of characters pleasing to the eye.

But precisely this detail is cause for reflection, which turns into a wish. Our world and our society are increasingly “turbulent”, and we all risk being caught in a vortex, this time unpleasant, of tasks, problems, anxieties and worries. Admiring this Adoration of the Magi, where the “swirl” of the characters on the right gradually calms down on the left in front of Baby Jesus, in Mary’s lap, watched over by Joseph and adored by the older Magus, the wish we exchange is precisely this: that in the Christmas holidays, contemplating the mystery of the Incarnation, in which the Son of God assumed our human nature to redeem it and elevate it to the divine nature, we can also find that peace and serenity that allows us to face with renewed hope the inevitable tumult of commitments of everyday life.

Monsignor Marco Maria Navoni

Prefect of the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana