The Blessing Christ

The California Patrons recently adopted The Blessing Christ. Here, Christ is portrayed in the frontal position on a blue background (which is presently oxidized). The right hand of Jesus is lifted in the blessing position while his left hand holds a book tight to his chest. The book‘s precious cover is enriched with stones and pearls. Jesus’ halo is decorated with a cross, the lines of which are painted in red and white. The cross is decorated with gems and beautiful stones similar to the other three sides of the halo.

Jesus is depicted with long hair that gently rests on his shoulders, with several curls delicately painted onto his forehead. His big, dark eyes are surrounded by a shadow while his long and pointed nose is underlined by a white shading that spans to the top of his nose between his eyes. Very small fragments are left of the lips, but the beard is still present and completed with small dark brushwork. The skin is clear especially on the neck. A brown mantel completely covers Christ’s left shoulder. Unfortunately, the whole wood panel is highly oxidized. It is possible that Christ’s clothes were originally pink. The head of Christ also appears to be missing large areas of color, especially on the left-hand side of the panel. Regrettably, the frame of this precious painting was lost as well, but the presence of some fragments suggests that its original color was red. This painting is expected to be returned on display in the Painting Gallery.