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Notes

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Christ raises his hand in blessing as Salvator Mundi, or ‘Saviour of the World’. Such pictures were particularly popular in north-east Italy in the second half of the fifteenth and the early sixteenth century and were usually made for the home. The popularity of this type of painting in Venice may have been due to the import of large numbers of similar paintings from the Netherlands.

Here Christ’s image is presented as though it were a portrait. His frontal pose and direct gaze are intended to appeal directly to the worshipper on a personal level.

This picture was probably painted in Bergamo shortly after Previtali’s return from Venice in 1511 or 1512. There is another slightly later version of Christ as Salvator Mundi by Previtali in the National Gallery’s collection, which is inscribed 1519.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Christ Blessing

Date

about 1512-15

Medium

Oil on poplar

Measurements

H 47.7 x W 38.1 cm

Accession number

NG3087

Acquisition method

Layard Bequest, 1916

Work type

Painting

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.

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Artist or maker

Andrea Previtali

1480–1528

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