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"Salvator Mundi"
(Baroque Europe )
Christ raises his right hand in benediction. In the right corner, part of a globe is visible, indicating his role as "Salvator Mundi" (Latin meaning "savior of the world"). His mild yet firm gaze encompasses all.
Sassoferrato specialized in devotional subjects. He chose pure colors and regular forms with emphasized contours that follow earlier traditions of religious painting. In addition, this image of Christ is based on a popular type in 16th-century northern art often combined with one of a praying Virgin Mary, representing them as king and queen of heaven.
For more information on this painting, please see Federico Zeri's 1976 catalogue no. 322, p. 450.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Sagro Monte di Pieta, Rome (?) [the 1857 catalogue of the Gallery lists a Redeemer by Sassoferrato with similar dimensions]; Don Marcello Massarenti Collection, Rome [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [1897 catalogue: no. 258]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1951 | The Life of Christ. The Washington County Museum, Hagerstown. |
Geographies
Italy, Rome (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Painted surface H: 18 11/16 x W: 15 5/16 in. (47.4 x 38.9 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters with the Massarenti Collection, 1902
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.1824