Andrea Mantegna - Christ as the Suffering Redeemer [1495-1500]

Andrea Mantegna - Christ as the Suffering Redeemer [1495-1500], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Half shrouded in his cerements, the risen Christ displays his five wounds. Joined by two angels supporting him, he appears to be praising the Lord with a hymn of thanksgiving. In other words, Mantegna has created a painting that merges two picture types with its foreground and background. The background refers to the story related in St. Luke, whereas the image of Christ is a so-called devotional picture, a type of image that condenses a biblical event (here the Passion) into a single intense close-up. Mantegna was one of the most prominent artists of 15th century Italy and is known for his interest in the civilisation of ancient Rome. This interest is evident in the porphyry sarcophagus on which Christ and the angels rest.