Hendrick Goltzius
Netherlandish, 1558 ‑ 1617
Christ as Salvator Mundi, 1607
The Virgin in Supplication, 1607
Oil on panel
19 5/16 × 19 in. (49.1 × 48.3 cm.) (Christ)
19 1/4 × 18 7/8 in. (48.9 × 47.9 cm.) (Virgin)
Bequest of Jane Morton Norton
Restored by income from the Marguerite Montgomery Baquie Memorial Trust, 2006  
1989.14.1-2

Savior of the World
Goltzius was already a renowned engraver when he took up oil painting in 1600. These paintings are his first pendants and his only known paintings in the tondo (round) format. Their circular shape and the absence of setting create an intense focus on Christ and his mother Mary. In this pair of paintings, Christ appears as “Savior of the World” or Salvator Mundi. He raises his right hand in blessing, while resting his left hand on the orb of the world, which supports a cross. The circular format of the painting reinforces the shape of the orb and symbolizes the world. In the companion painting, Mary turns slightly toward Christ with her eyes cast down and her hands held to her chest in a gesture of supplication, presenting a model of submission and devotion to her son.