Driekoningen 1782 - 1837

Pieter Bartholomeusz. Barbiers made this drawing titled 'Driekoningen', or 'Three Kings', in the Netherlands using pen and brush in grey ink. It depicts the Epiphany tradition, where groups of people, often children, would go door to door enacting the journey of the Magi. The scene is simple: a group holding a large star is met by a family, perhaps in anticipation of a small gift or treat. This drawing encapsulates a deeply embedded folk custom that was both religious and social. Consider the role of the Rijksmuseum, the institution that holds this work. What does it mean for a cultural practice, once part of the everyday lives of ordinary people, to be preserved as a museum object? What other traces of Epiphany celebrations can be found in Dutch archives and historical societies? Looking into these sources will reveal the layered meanings of what might otherwise seem like a simple image.