How Rembrandt Changed the Face of Christ
‘Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus’
Source-Wikipedia
Two centuries before Rembrandt, the Northern European artists rigidly followed prevailing images used to depict Christ. The Veil of Veronica and the Mandylion of Edessa are two main Christian relics where the face of Jesus was miraculously imprinted. Hence, these two sources became the visual canon to portray Christ in paintings. The third source is the Letter of Lentulus that was first widely published in the 15th century. According to the legend, it was written by a Roman official who was a contemporary of Jesus and describes his physical and personal description. Although the credibility of the letter is in doubt, here it goes —
“His hair is the color of a ripe hazelnut, parted on top in the manner of the Nazarites, and falling straight to the ears but curling further below, with blonde highlights and fanning off his shoulders.” He has a fair forehead and no wrinkles or marks on his face, his cheeks are tinged with pink. . . . In sum, he is the most beautiful of all mortals.
The painters took cues from these apocryphal sources and painted Jesus as more divine than human. An earthly physical interpretation of Jesus was avoided as it could lead to idolatry and draw Church’s wrath.
