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.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
1/12/1962	Treatment	cleaned
6/10/1981	Examination	examined for condition
10/27/1987	Examination	examined for condition
10/27/1987	Treatment	cleaned

Provenance Léon Gruel, Paris; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1914 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters, 1914