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Saint Christopher and the Infant Christ

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 961
This imposing, well-preserved mural is an early work by Ghirlandaio, one of the most popular painters in late-fifteenth-century Florence and a master of the fresco technique. Its provenance is unknown, and the tradition that it decorated a chapel in the church of San Miniato fra le Torri in Florence is probably wrong: that fresco was described by early writers as about twice the size and was attributed to the Pollaiuolo brothers.

In true fresco technique, pigments mixed with water are applied directly on a fresh (or fresco) plaster wall. As the plaster sets, a chemical reaction occurs whereby the pigment particles become locked into the wall, giving the work great durability. In the fifteenth century, the design for a fresco was often executed with a red pigment, known as sinopia, on a preparatory layer of coarse plaster ("arriccio"). Over this was laid just the amount of finely ground plaster ("intonaco") that could be painted in a single day. Our fresco comprises seven such sections, or "giornate", which closely follow the contours of the figures and drapery.

The painting is in exceptionally good condition. Many details, especially in the landscape, were added after the plaster had dried. Such "a secco" details have usually fallen away.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Saint Christopher and the Infant Christ
  • Artist: Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi) (Italian, Florence 1448/49–1494 Florence)
  • Medium: Fresco
  • Dimensions: 112 x 59 in. (284.5 x 149.9 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Cornelius Vanderbilt, 1880
  • Object Number: 80.3.674
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Standing Figure of Saint Stephen and the Head of Another Figure Within the Framing Outlines of a Rectangle, Crude Sketch of the Head of Another Figure, Undecipherable Sketch of a Polygonal or Circular Object with Small Projections, Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi) Italian, Pen and brown ink; leadpoint or soft black chalk
Standing Figure of Saint Stephen and the Head of Another Figure Within the Framing Outlines of a Rectangle, Crude Sketch of the Head of Another Figure, Undecipherable Sketch of a Polygonal or Circular Object with Small Projections
Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi)
1492–94
Head of a Man Wearing a Cap, Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi) Italian, Metalpoint, heightened with brush and white, on reddish orange prepared paper.
Head of a Man Wearing a Cap
Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi)
ca. 1495–1505
Portrait of a Man, Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi) Italian, Tempera on wood
Portrait of a Man
Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi)
Francesco Sassetti (1421–1490) and His Son Teodoro, Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi) Italian, Tempera on wood
Francesco Sassetti (1421–1490) and His Son Teodoro
Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi)
ca. 1488
Madonna and Child, Giovanni Bellini Italian, Oil on wood
Madonna and Child
Giovanni Bellini
late 1480s

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