bust portrait of Christ as a child with light wavy hair, with a high hairline, with head turned slightly toward PR; Christ squeezes a bunch of grapes in his PR hand, with the juice running into a white footed bowl; Christ holds a small bunch of grapes in his PL hand, which are reflected in the silver cross-topped domed cover in foreground; small portions of view of a landscapes in top corners; portrait in a tondo, with flowers in each corner

The Infant Christ Pressing the Wine of the Eucharist, c. 1500

Unknown artist, expand_more
Not on Viewexpand_more

This small tapestry depicts the infant Jesus pressing grapes into a chalice. The imagery was widely understood at the time of its creation to reference the physical sacrifice Jesus would later make in his crucifixion. In the Christian ritual of the Eucharist, followers drink holy wine to remember Jesus’s suffering. The remarkably fine quality of the weaving suggests the tapestry was made in a preeminent Brussels workshop. The presence of gold and silk yarns proclaim the tapestry’s value as a high status object, but the intimate scale and subject matter suggest it was used by an elite individual within a devotional practice, most likely within the home.

Details
Title
The Infant Christ Pressing the Wine of the Eucharist
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2014.104
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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bust portrait of Christ as a child with light wavy hair, with a high hairline, with head turned slightly toward PR; Christ squeezes a bunch of grapes in his PR hand, with the juice running into a white footed bowl; Christ holds a small bunch of grapes in his PL hand, which are reflected in the silver cross-topped domed cover in foreground; small portions of view of a landscapes in top corners; portrait in a tondo, with flowers in each corner