It is at least painted in the same practical spirit as that of a man painting an illustration for any other book.

It is not a picture meant to help one to pray, or meditate.

It does not express any religious idea.

It was intended to be the veracious representation of an actual event, shown as, and when, and how it happened, true to the facts so far as Hubert knew them.
[Illustration: THE THREE MARIES From the picture by Hubert van Eyck, in Sir Frederick Cook's Collection, Richmond] He has dressed the Maries in robes with wrought borders of Hebrew characters, imitated from embroidered stuffs, such as at that time were imported into Europe from the East.

The dresses are not accurate copies of eastern dresses; Hubert would scarcely have known what those were like, but was doing his best to paint costumes that should look oriental.