Christ in the Wilderness
Artist: Moretto da Brescia (Alessandro Bonvicino) (Italian, 1498–1554)
Original Dimensions: 18" x 21 3/4"
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
About Artwork: (ca. 1515–20) "According to biblical text, following his baptism, Christ was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, where he fasted for forty days and was "tested by Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him" (Mark 1:13). Moretto imagines Christ steeped in introspective calm, remarkably unfazed as animals mill around him, angels fuss overhead, and a small dragon or basilisk creeps at his feet. This picture is a fragment; at some point someone cut it down at the left and top. To make this less conspicuous, the angels and cherubim were painted over, only to be uncovered more recently by conservators." - (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

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