Traditions tells us there were three Wise Men. We even have names for them; Melchior, Balthazar, and Caspar. They travelled from Arabia and Persia following a star foretelling the birth of a king of the Jews.
The Gospel of Matthew is a little more vague when it comes to the Wise Men, providing no names, appearances, origins, or exact number:
“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, Wise Men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.” (Mat: 2:1-2)
We have come to assume that there were three Wise Men because they bought with them three gifts; gold, frankincense and myrrh.
This neoclassical painting, The Three Magi, is by Austrian artist Leopold Kupelwiesser and was painted in 1825. Kupelwiesser was a prodigy, already attending the Academy of Fine Art in Vienna by the age of 12. He made his living, largely as a portrait painter and sign writer for Viennese shops.
This painting shows the Wise Men on horseback—rather than the more familiar camels— looking skyward towards the comet they are following. Since the late 1600s, Balthazar has been depicted as a black-skinned African ruler.
The Wise Man in red with the long white beard has been associated with Melchior and is traditionally the oldest of the Magi.