St. Christopher, and studies for the Assumption of St. Catherine and the Baptism of St. Catherine

St. Christopher, and studies for the Assumption of St. Catherine and the Baptism of St. Catherine

Artist Jacopo Palma, called Palma il Giovane (Italian, ca. 1548–1628)

Dateca. 1613

MediumDouble-sided drawing: brown ink and wash on paper

DimensionsImage: 13 7/8 x 8 5/8 inches (35.3 x 21.9 cm)

ClassificationsDrawings

Credit LineAcquired through the Herbert F. Johnson, Class of 1922, Endowment

Terms

Drawings
Brown ink and wash
Jesus Christ
Saint Christopher
Saints
Staffs
Angels
Baptism
Preparatory drawings
Saint Catherine
Paper
Italian

Object number81.070.001

Label CopyAccording to legend, Christopher offered service by carrying people across a swiftly flowing stream. One day, he was carrying a child who seemed to increase in weight until Christopher felt he was carrying the weight of the world. The child identified himself as Jesus.

Here, Palma depicts Christopher’s effort through a bending of the saint’s back and a twist of his torso that combine the grace of the Venetian style with lessons learned from Michelangelo’s powerful Sistine Chapel frescoes during his time in Rome. Related surviving drawings indicate that St. Christopher’s pose was derived from study of a nude male model.

(“Undressed: The Nude in Context, 1500-1750,” text by Andrew C. Weislogel and presented at the Johnson Museum February 9-June 16, 2019)