Christ Blessing, Surrounded by a Donor Family

German Painter German

Not on view

Depicting a continuous scene across three panels, this family portrait adapts the conventions of the triptych altarpiece to the new demands of Protestant devotion. Both the painter and the sitters of this monumental family portrait are unknown today, but the church spires that appear reflected on the orb in Christ’s hand associate them with the North German city of Hamburg. The verses inscribed on the tablets above the figures were taken verbatim from a Low German edition of Martin Luther’s Bible translation. Christ’s presence in the midst of this domestic gathering bespeaks a deeply Lutheran understanding of Christ’s direct accessibility to believers.

#2632. Investigations: Christ Blessing, Surrounded by a Donor and His Family, Part 1

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  1. 2632. Investigations: Christ Blessing, Surrounded by a Donor and His Family, Part 1
  2. 2632. Christ Blessing, Surrounded by a Donor and His Family
Christ Blessing, Surrounded by a Donor Family, German Painter (probably active Hamburg and Lower Saxony, 1560s–80s), Oil and gold on oak

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