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Saint Christopher, wearing a red and green cloak and a halo, carries a child on his back

In the foreground is a light-skinned man with a long beard and a gold halo behind his head. He wears a red and green cloak and carries a long branch with red fronds at the top. His legs are bare, his right knee bent toward the right. His face is tilted upward. On the man’s back is a child in gold and white robes. The child carries a cross in his left hand. Suspended from the cross is a white flag with a red cross. The figures stand before a gold patterned background bordered by decorative gold and gray columns.

Gallery Text

The vertical format of this painting indicates that it could be one wing, or a door-like side panel, of a large altarpiece. In the United States since 1920, this painting is now displayed in a frame meant to represent some of its lost context: it would originally have been part of an elaborately decorated church, possibly in Palencia in northern Spain, along the route that pilgrims took to Santiago de Compostela.

Saint Christopher was the patron saint of travelers and would have appealed to pilgrims walking great distances. In order to show his dedication to God, the saint helped travelers cross a dangerous river. As shown here, one day a child asked for a ride on Christopher’s back. As they progressed, the child grew heavier and heavier, but Christopher did not give up. When he reached the other side, the child revealed himself to be Jesus. As proof, the child told Christopher to plant his walking stick in the ground. In the morning, it sprouted into a palm tree. We see the beginnings of that transformation here.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1948.35
People
Master of Saint Ildefonso, Spanish
Title
Saint Christopher
Classification
Paintings
Work Type
painting
Date
15th century
Culture
Spanish
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/229151

Location

Location
Level 2, Room 2440, Medieval Art, Medieval Art
View this object's location on our interactive map

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Oil on panel
Dimensions
178.6 x 68.1 cm (70 5/16 x 26 13/16 in.)
framed: 213 x 84.5 x 15 cm (83 7/8 x 33 1/4 x 5 7/8 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Edward W. Forbes
Accession Year
1948
Object Number
1948.35
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
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Publication History

  • Edward Waldo Forbes, Yankee Visionary, Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, MA, 1971), p. 4; p. 42, repr. in b/w p. 43
  • David Kolch, "Reconstruction System for Panel Painting Supports: A Review and Evaluation of Treatments in the Fogg Museum Laboratory, 1927-1952" (thesis (certificate in conservation), Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies , August 1977), Unpublished, pp. 1-60 passim
  • Kristin A. Mortimer and William G. Klingelhofer, Harvard University Art Museums: A Guide to the Collections, Harvard University Art Museums and Abbeville Press (Cambridge and New York, 1986), no. 185, p. 163, repr.
  • Edgar Peters Bowron, European Paintings Before 1900 in the Fogg Art Museum: A Summary Catalogue including Paintings in the Busch-Reisinger Museum, Harvard University Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 1990)
  • Sotheby's: Old Master Paintings Evening Sale, London 8 July 2009, auct. cat., Sotheby's, London (London, 2009), pp. 54-56; reproduced in b/w on p. 54, cat. no. 19

Exhibition History

  • Edward Waldo Forbes: Yankee Visionary, Fogg Art Museum, 01/16/1971 - 02/22/1971
  • 32Q: 2440 Medieval, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/12/2017 - 01/01/2050

Related Works

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu