Salvator Mundi

In the fifteenth century, paintings executed on linen were common, particularly in northern Europe; however, because of their fragility, very few survive. This small image from Botticelli’s Florentine workshop adopts the Northern technique of linen painting and also draws from Northern depictions of Christ as the Man of Sorrows. Christ’s open mouth indicates that he is speaking, and his gesture conveys his meaning as he points to his side to indicate the wound there. As if commenting on the use of linen as a support, Botticelli develops the elaborate use of cloth as a means of unveiling: just as Christ appears before the opened curtains of the baldachin, his side wound is revealed through a tear in the purple fabric of his garment. The actual linen is torn where Christ indicates the wound, possibly as a consequence of repeated touching by the devout as they prayed before the image.