Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
In the 3 Wise Queens, the kings suggests gifts that are more appropriate for a normal king,
like a crown or a throne. Balthazar’s idea is the most impractical -- he wants to give
a lion.
But he wasn’t the only one who had this idea. Here are Renaissance paintings with
big cats being given as natvity gifts. In these instances, leopards are the big cat
of choice, given with many other exotic animals.
When Balthazar learns that the newborn king is the shepherd of the people of Israel, he
realizes how bad his idea was:
“I almost gave a lion to a shepherd!”