Father-Pietà, Nicolaas Hogenberg, 1524

Father-Pietà, Nicolaas Hogenberg, 1524

engraving, h 447mm × w 344mm More details

Man’s redemption through Christ’s death on the cross is the central theme of Christian art. Active in Mechelen, Hogenberg portrayed Christ’s sacrifice in an impressive depiction of God the Father seated on a celestial globe, presenting his dead son. Below them is a terrestrial globe with a view of Jerusalem. The armed naked boys allude to man’s violent nature.