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Advent 2011: Have a safe Christmas

It's January 6, the Feat of the Epiphany, which celebrates the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem to pay homage to the infant Christ. So it's appropriate to feature a card depicting the Magi. This is something of an unusual take on the subject, what with the juxtaposition of the ancient and modern, reminding us that the territory through which the Magi traveled to visit the prophesied Prince of Peace is today beset by war.

This card was created by the Portuguese artist Bartolomeu Dos Santos in 2002 and donated to the British Museum the following year. The words appearing below the camels are part of the print; the lettering running vertically down the sides of the card and the signature were inscribed by the artist in pencil.


Art and design by and copyright © 2002 Bartolomeu Dos Santos. Electronic image copyright © British Museum.