Christ the Redeemer

Art Historical Context

Behold the serene majesty of *Christ the Redeemer*, a masterful Carrara marble sculpture by Florentine artist Antonio Novelli, crafted around 1650. This impressive work, standing 36 inches tall and weighing over 850 pounds, captures the infant Christ in a tender yet authoritative pose, evoking themes of divine redemption central to Christian iconography. The tags highlighting "Infants|Christ" underscore its focus on the Christ Child, a motif blending innocence with salvific power, common in Baroque religious art. Novelli, working in the vibrant Florentine tradition during the height of the Baroque period, exemplifies the era's emphasis on emotional depth and naturalistic detail. Carrara marble, quarried from the Apuan Alps near Florence, lends the piece its luminous translucency and durability, allowing for intricate carving that brings the child's chubby form and symbolic attributes to life. Such sculptures adorned churches and private chapels, serving as focal points for devotion. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2011 through a generous family gift, this rarity from Italy's golden age of sculpture invites visitors to ponder the interplay of vulnerability and eternity in Christ's early life. A testament to 17th-century artistry, it weighs heavily—literally and figuratively—with spiritual resonance.

About the Artist

Antonio Novelli · 1600–1662

Comment on works: Sculptor