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St Christopher holding the Christ Child: M.5-1943

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Titles

St Christopher holding the Christ Child

Maker(s)

Sculptor: Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

Wood, carved almost completely in the round, gessoed, and polychromed, with remnants of extensive gilidng. St Christopher, bearded, wearing a long mantle over his short tunic, wades into a stream, which covers his left foot. His right foot rests on a rock, and both legs are bare. His mantle is fastened on his chest by a large clasp. The Christ child is seated astride the saint's shoulders, the left foot being held by the saint's left hand. The child's right arm and left hand together with the saint's right hand are lost. There is a large iron nail in the stream. The reverse is painted opaque pale blue and has the remains of a fixing. The pedestal was made separately from the figure.

Legal notes

Given by Mrs Sigismund Goetze

Measurements and weight

Depth: 12.5 cm
Height: 60.2 cm
Width: 21.6 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1943) by Goetze, Constance, Mrs

Dating

16th Century, Early
Production date: circa AD 1500

School or Style

Medieval

People, subjects and objects depicted

Project

  • Sculpture UK

Components of the work

Part composed of gold paint
Without Base Height 51.5 cm

Materials used in production

Wood (plant material)
Paint

Techniques used in production

Carving : Wood, carved in the round, polychromed, and gilded

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: M.5-1943
Primary reference Number: 30153
External ID: CAM_CCF_M_5_1943

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 30 April 2024

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "St Christopher holding the Christ Child" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/30153 Accessed: 2025-12-06 09:48:05

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/30153 |title=St Christopher holding the Christ Child |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-06 09:48:05|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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