Paris Bordone, 'Christ as 'The Light of the World'', about 1550
About the work
Overview
Christ’s hand is raised with his index finger pointing upwards, perhaps towards heaven, represented by the sunlit sky through the window. He holds a scroll inscribed: EGO. SVM. LVX. MŪD. meaning ‘I am the Light of the World’ (John 8: 12). Christ goes on to promise that ‘he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life,’ underlining his role as saviour.
Paintings of this type were kept in houses, especially in bedrooms and also displayed in churches. The painting is signed on the plinth of the pillar.
The hatching of the shadows in Christ’s eyes and the thin horizontal lines of white crossing his irises are typical of Bordone’s style and can also be seen in his Portrait of a Young Woman. The red of Christ’s garment has faded, making the highlights and shadows appear rather hard and abrupt.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Christ as 'The Light of the World'
- Artist
- Paris Bordone
- Artist dates
- 1500 - 1571
- Date made
- about 1550
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 90.7 × 74.7 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Presented by Mrs Mary M. Wood through her brother, the Revd G. Greenwood, 1901
- Inventory number
- NG1845
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Frame
- 16th-century Italian Frame
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Nicholas Penny, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Paintings’, vol. 2, ‘Venice 1540–1600’, London 2008; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1900L. Bailo and G. Biscaro, Della vita e delle opere di Paris Bordon, Treviso 1900
-
1901A. Venturi, Storia dell'arte italiana, 11 vols, Milan 1901
-
1906National Gallery, Descriptive and Historical Catalogue of the Pictures in the National Gallery: With Biographical Notices of the Deceased Painters: The British School, London 1906
-
1908D. Hadeln, 'Zum Oeuvre Paris Bordones', Repertorium für Kunstwissenschaft, XXXI, 1908, pp. 544-5
-
1929C.H.C. Baker, National Gallery: Descriptive and Historical Catalogue of Foreign Pictures in Trafalgar Square, London 1929
-
1932B. Berenson, Italian Pictures of the Renaissance: A List of the Principal Artists and Their Works, with an Index of Places, Oxford 1932
-
1957B. Berenson, Italian Pictures of the Renaissance: A List of the Principal Artists and Their Works, with an Index of Places: Venetian School, 2 vols, London 1957
-
1959Gould, Cecil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Venetian School, London 1959
-
1964G.M. Canova, Paris Bordon, Venice 1964
-
1975C. Gould, Delaroche and Gautier: Gautier's Views on the 'Execution of Lady Jane Grey' and on other Compositions by Delaroche, London 1975
-
1985National Gallery, 'Pictures Cleaned and Restored in the Conservation Department of the National Gallery, January 1984 - December 1984', National Gallery Technical Bulletin, IX, 1985
-
1987Gould, Cecil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Schools, London 1987
-
1997E.M. Pozzolo, 'Tra Variani e Rocco Marconi', Venezia cinquecento, VII/13, 1997, pp. 5-37
-
2000G. Finaldi, The Image of Christ, London 2000
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
-
2004J.M. Ruiz Manero, 'Obras y noticias de Paris Bordón en España', Archivo español de arte, LXXVII/306, 2004, pp. 194-9
-
2008Penny, Nicholas, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Paintings, 2, Venice, 1540-1600, London 2008
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
Images
More works by Paris Bordone
