Saint Christopher Carrying the Christ Child Through a Sinful World

Public Domain

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Artist Circle of Hieronymus Bosch(Netherlandish, c. 1450–1516)Netherlandish, c. 1450–1516

CultureNetherlandish

Titles

Saint Christopher Carrying the Christ Child Through a Sinful World

Dateearly 16th century

PlaceNetherlands

MediumOil on panel

DimensionsOverall: 22 1/2 × 31 1/4 inches (57.2 × 79.4 cm)
Frame: 32 7/8 × 41 3/8 × 4 in. (83.5 × 105.1 × 10.2 cm)

Credit LineSarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation, Houston

Object numberBF.1979.1

Current Location

The Audrey Jones Beck Building

217 Blaffer Galleries

Exposé

Explore Further

Department

Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation

Object Type

PAINTING

DescriptionThe patron saint of travelers, Christopher was one of the most popular figures in the late Middle Ages. According to legend, this giant figure, guided by a hermit (here visible on the bank, holding his lantern), served Christ by carrying travelers across a river. One night Christopher carried the Christ Child himself and struggled under the weight of the world. The artist has elaborated the story with nightmarish symbols of a sinful world.
ProvenanceOriginally in the Jerez de la Frontera Convent, Spain; probably Marques de Aladro, Principe de Albana, as of 1835; [Edward Speelman (1910–1994), Switzerland]; purchased by the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation, 1979.
Exhibition History"Genre Scenes, Portraits and Still-life: Dutch and Flemish Paintings of the 16th and 17th Centuries," El Paso Museum of Art, September 16, 2012–January 6, 2013.

"Medieval Monsters: Terrors, Aliens, Wonders," Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas, Austin, October 27, 2019–January 12, 2020.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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