About the Artist
Giovanni Bellini (c.1430-1516) was a leading figure of the Venetian Renaissance. He came from a dynasty of fine artists which included his father Jacopo, his older brother Gentile – and his brother-in-law, the great painter and printmaker Andrea Mantegna. One of the things that sets Bellini apart from his contemporaries is his great facility for colour, and his ability to invest his religious subjects with extraordinary emotional depth.
About the Artwork
Christ Blessing is a painting by an artist in Giovanni Bellini’s circle. There is wonderful finesse in the brushwork, reminiscent of the work of Bellini’s pupil, Pier Francesco Bissolo. That hypnotic delicacy can be seen in the rendering of the soft hands, the almost invisible beard, the threads of golden embroidery on Christ’s robe, and above all in the eyes, which glow with compassion and understanding. Images of Christ Blessing were enormously popular in Venice at the time that this picture was painted. They nearly always depict Christ face on, two fingers raised in a gesture of benediction. The pose implies that Christ is about to speak – which is fitting for an image made to be used for devotional purposes. The painting's original owner, gazing at Jesus’s face while praying, might well have been hoping to hear the still, small voice of God.