Christ Washing the Feet of His Disciples
1720–30
Medium
Oil on panel
Dimensions
49.5 × 72.1 cm (19 1/2 × 28 3/8 in.); Framed: 72.4 × 94.7 × 7.7 cm (28 1/2 × 37 1/4 × 3 in.)
Classification
oil on panel
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
58052
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Nicolas Bertin was primarily a painter of religious, mythological, and allegorical subjects. Although trained in the rigorous French academic traditions, he often emulated the broader style of Titian, Paolo Veronese, and other Venetian Renaissance masters. For his depiction of Christ washing Saint Peter's feet just after the Last Supper (John 13:4-5), Bertin created a majestic, theatrical backdrop reminiscent of those in Veronese's pictures. Through gesture and facial expression Bertin adeptly d...