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Domenico Fetti

Christ Ministered To by the Angels, ca. 1620

Now On View

Description

Maker

  • Domenico Fetti, ca. 1589-1623, Italian

Title

Christ Ministered To by the Angels

Year

ca. 1620

Medium

Oil on canvas

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • oil paint

Supports

  • canvas

Dimensions

89.5 x 78.1 cm (35 1/4 x 30 3/4 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Unsigned

Place

Italy

Type

  • Paintings

Credit

Museum Appropriation Fund

Object Number

36.003

About

This biblical scene depicts a meal served to Christ at the conclusion of his forty days of fasting in the desert. Gracefully modeled angels have laid a table beneath a protective tree in an imaginary landscape that is imbued with the silvery light of northern Italy. They lean toward their seated guest with a tender concern that emphasizes his humanity. Indications of the temptations Christ endured in the desert are confined to the periphery. At lower left, a dark figure representing Satan prods Christ to turn stone into bread. Above left, and at lower right, he appears first on a mountain top and then at the pinnacle of a temple, where he twice refused Satan’s offer of the kingdoms of the world. The artist’s lively brushstrokes project a heightened sense of movement, but his emphasis on the simple activity of the meal demonstrates an aspect of Baroque painting that valued personal intimacy over dramatic action.

Unsigned

Italy
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Exhibition History

Exhibition History

The Natural World, the Body, and the Divine

February 3 - April 16, 2006

Italian Painting

April 6 - August 25, 1990

European Galleries

The mysterious setting for this religious narrative looks beyond northern Italy to the east. The desert where Jesus endured a 40-day fast appears at right, preceded by a cluster of towers and the rounded dome of a temple or mosque. His temptations by Satan are revealed on the periphery, culminating on a mountaintop where he refuses Satan’s offer of the kingdoms of the world.

The artist contrasts zones of light and shadow with warm Venetian color and graceful movement, emphasizing the intimacy of the meal over dramatic action.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Christ Ministered To by the Angels with the accession number of 36.003. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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