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Source Description
The episode of Christ's vigil and prayer in the garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives the night before his crucifixion is rarely attempted in freestanding, three-dimensional sculpture, though it was often depicted German and Netherlandish Renaissance painters and printmakers, such as Albrecht Dürer, who could develope the mysteries of an isolated corner of a public garden at night. By eliminating indicators of the garden setting, the artist accepts the challenge of conveying the mood and story solely through body language. Having fallen to his knees, Christ gazes upward at the unseen angels, who offer him a chalice as a symbol of the fate he must accept. That the viewer is expected to complete the vision in his or her own imagination makes the statuette especially effective as an aide to devotion.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
36458
label
Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
2
Source metadata
id
36458
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane
description
The episode of Christ's vigil and prayer in the garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives the night before his crucifixion is rarely attempted in freestanding, three-dimensional sculpture, though it was often depicted German and Netherlandish Renaissance painters and printmakers, such as Albrecht Dürer, who could develope the mysteries of an isolated corner of a public garden at night. By eliminating indicators of the garden setting, the artist accepts the challenge of conveying the mood and story solely through body language. Having fallen to his knees, Christ gazes upward at the unseen angels, who offer him a chalice as a symbol of the fate he must accept. That the viewer is expected to complete the vision in his or her own imagination makes the statuette especially effective as an aide to devotion.
provenance
Léon Gruel, Paris; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1914 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
1650-1675 (Baroque)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Wood
statuettes (statues)
figurines
imageCount
2
pageCount
2
source
import
dimensionsRaw
12 in. (30.5 cm)
Source extras
med
boxwood
creator_ids
6211
6200
collection_ids
BAR
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
0519021bd586d3b3
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
c7eb6247a859bf1e
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no