Christ as Salvator Mundi

Quinten Metsys painted this Christ as Salvator Mundi around 1505, a devotional image type depicting Christ as savior of the world. Metsys was the leading painter in Antwerp who helped establish the city as the commercial and artistic center of the Netherlands. His refined technique combined the best of Netherlandish tradition with awareness of Italian innovations. The oil medium allowed for rich tonal transitions and glazed layers of color that created luminous depth impossible with the older tempera technique.

Oil on panel with Metsys's superb rendering of Christ's idealized features and rich drapery. The luminous flesh tones and careful modeling of the blessing hand demonstrate his technical mastery.