Jesus In The Garden Of Gethsemane

18th century

Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane

Polychrome terracotta, cm alt. 18

The polychrome terracotta depicts a particularly significant moment in the life of Jesus, prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. The episode, present in the four canonical Gospels, tells that after the Last Supper, Jesus and his disciples decide to go to Gethsemane, a garden whose name (gath shemanim) means precisely "oil press" and therefore assumes the presence of an olive grove. Once we arrive at the place, Jesus leaves the group of the Apostles to pray in the distance. It is a moment of great drama: Jesus is fully aware of the imminence and the extent of the events of the Passion and pleads with God to be able to turn away from the fate to which he was destined. In this episode, Christ shows himself to be deeply human, gripped by conflicting feelings. This humanity is perfectly represented in the work under consideration: Jesus is depicted kneeling on a raised spur, with his hands joined in prayer, his head slightly reclined and his eyes set low, fixed before him. The expression of his face and the discomposed pose reveal the despondency and concern that afflict him, but they also hide the great tenacity and courage that will lead the Lord to sacrifice himself for the good of all humanity. Its dress, skillfully worked and defined by deep folds, is shaped following the soft lines of the body giving dynamism to the work. The treatment of the face and hair of Christ, depicted by the artist with meticulousness, is also particularly refined.
The object is in good condition