Balthazar: a black African king in medieval and renaissance art

Abstract

"In this book, experts explore the representation of Balthazar as a Black African king. They examine medieval and Renaissance artworks that portray the European fantasy of the Black magus, offer clues about the Africans who may have inspired these images, and chronicle the Black presence in premodern Europe"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents

Introduction. Balthazar's Blackness : equally noble, equally foreign / Henry Louis Gates Jr. -- An African King in Art and Legend / Kristen Collins and Bryan C. Keene. Geographies of the Black magus tradition / Paul H.D. Kaplan ; Why Black? The meanings of epidermal race in the European Middle Ages / Geraldine Heng ; Color, race, and religion in Spain : Cantigas de Santa Maria / Hussein Fancy -- Connecting Continents through Trade and Diplomacy / Kristen Collins and Bryan C. Keene . African kingship : real and imagined / Gus Casely-Hayford ; Connective threads : Nubian trade, dignitaries and display / Andrea Myers Achi ; Ethiopian monks in Europe / Samantha Kelly -- The Black magus in the public sphere / Paul H.D. Kaplan ; A Black magus comes to Rome from Kongo / Cécile Fromont ; The Black magus in "We Three Kings of Orient Are" / Paul H.D. Kaplan -- Epilogue / Kristen Collins and Bryan C. Keene -- Afterword. Curating Black history with Black audiences in mind / Tyree Boyd-Bates.