“This beautifully illustrated book on Balthazar, the African king believed to be one of the “wise men” who traveled from afar to acknowledge the divinity of the infant Christ, is a real gift. The range of related topics covered spreads out into the early modern world—the rise of African kingdoms as well as pertinent aspects of the slave trade—something readers today are looking for. The authors, experts all, know how to write concisely and to be enjoyed as well as impart insight.”
—Joaneath Spicer, The James A. Murnaghan Curator of Renaissance and Baroque Art, The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore
“This gorgeously illustrated volume gathers together cutting-edge articles to probe the image of the Black magus in European art. As a marker of real historical contacts, imaginary kingdoms, and known Christian princes, the presence of the Black king at the scene of Christ’s Nativity is here read within a diverse range of possible interpretations. The book’s strength is its polyvocality: no one story is put forward to explain the Black Balthazar. Rather, it tells the complicated history of the early modern period, in which connections among a whole variety of sub-Saharan African communities and western Europe were on the rise. Balthazar: A Black African King in Medieval and Renaissance Art is required reading for those curious about how the past informs current debates about race in the West.”
—Sarah Guérin, Assistant Professor, History of Art, University of Pennsylvania
“An inherently fascinating and informative art history presentation that is unreservedly recommended as a prized addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university Medieval/ Renaissance Art History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.”
~Midwest Book Review
“Impressively informative, expertly organized and presented, Balthazar: A Black African King in Medieval and Renaissance Art is unreservedly recommended.”
~Margaret Lane, Midwest Book Review
“Beautifully illustrated. . . . An accessible volume that has the possibility of gaining a wide readership.”
~Scott Nethersole, The Burlington Magazine
“In all, Balthazar: A Black African King in Renaissance Art provides a concise, complex, and thoughtful starting point for scholars and students interested in understanding the networks of trade, diplomacy, and religious belief between Africa and Europe during the early modern period, and the role of visual culture and Christianity therein.”
~Caitlin Irene Dimartino, Comitatus: A Journal of Medieval and Renaissance Studies
“Wonderfully illustrated volume.”
~Albrecht Classen, Mediaevistik
