South-Eastern Netherlandish, early 16th century | Saint Christopher carrying the Christ Child

Saint Christopher was one of the most celebrated saints of the late Middle Ages, and is depicted wading through water with the Christ Child on his shoulders, as recounted in The Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine. While other representations of the subject show the Saint leaning on a stick, here there is an added element of tenderness as he supports the Christ Child with both hands, holding his right hand in his own.

RELATED LITERATURE
Laat-gotische beeldsnijkunst uit Limburg en Grensland, exh. cat. Provinciaal Museum voor Religieuze Kunst, Begijnhof, Sint-Truiden, 1990, p. I.17, figs. 17 and 18