The Good Shepherd
Unknown Artist
18th century
Medium
Ivory
Dimensions
H. 2 5/8 in. (6.7 cm); W. 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm); D. 1 in. (2.5 cm)
Classification
Ivories
Culture
India, Indo-Portuguese (Goa or Diu)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Cynthia Hazen Polsky, 2011
Accession Number
2011.576.7
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian department, *The Good Shepherd is a delicate 18th-century sculpture (H. 2 5/8 in.; W. 1 1/4 in.; D. 1 in.) from Indo-Portuguese India, likely Goa or Diu. Carved by an unknown artist, it portrays Jesus as the benevolent shepherd from Christian scripture—a tender figure cradling a lamb, symbol guidance, protection, and sacrifice. This intimate scale suggests it served as a personal devotional object, perhaps a pendant or saint, cherished by Portuguese settlers or converts in colonial India. The artwork exemplifies Indo-Portuguese art, a vibrant ...