CHRIST AS THE GOOD SHEPHERD Colonial Portuguese work, India, probably Goa, 17th/18th century

CHRIST AS THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Colonial Portuguese work, India, probably Goa, 17th/18th century
Ivory, partly carved in the round, with traces of paintwork. In the form of a richly populated mountain, surmounted by the sleeping Christ Child depicted as the Good Shepherd, with a lamb over his shoulder and another resting on his lap. The mountain-shaped base arranged in three tiers. Below, St Mary Magdalene depicted in a grotto, reading the Holy Scriptures. Two big cats seated in lateral niches. Above, seated and drinking sheep with lambs and two birds of paradise. On the uppermost tier, the Fountain of Life, flanked by the Virgin Mary and St Joseph and drinking birds of paradise. The mountain populated by numerous sheep and lambs.
H 26.5 cm.
Heads of two sheep and the birds missing. Some cracks and minor losses. Feet of the Christ Child incomplete. Head of St Joseph replaced. Originally with branch-like rays extending upwards and to the sides.

Provenance:
- Carlo Monzino Collection (1933–1996), Castagnola/Lugano, Switzerland.
- By descent into a Swiss private collection, from the estate of the above-mentioned collector.

Due to the use of materials from protected species, this object cannot be exported from Switzerland.

In this relatively widespread type of representation, local Indian iconography is combined with Christian-Portuguese iconography introduced into India by the Jesuit order. The depiction of the sleeping Christ Child has variously been associated with the sleeping Vishnu and the sleeping Buddha (Pedro Dias, "Atlas of Portuguese Art in the World", Lisbon 2009, pp. 80–81, illustrating two comparable figures, nos. 5 and 6). Other authors identify the Christ Child with Yima, a figure from Indo-Iranian mythology. The big cats depicted in the lateral caves beside Mary Magdalene are identified as lions. This may be the result of a misunderstanding arising from a confusion between the depicted Mary Magdalene and St Mary of Egypt, in whose legend a lion plays a role (cf. Richard H. Randall, "Masterpieces of Ivory. From the Walters Art Gallery", New York 1995, p. 312, no. 468).

Colonial works in ivory were highly popular, as they could be acquired in the colonies at considerably lower prices than in their countries of origin. It is assumed that Indian ivory carvers had European models available to them when producing these religious sculptures.

The Milanese collector Carlo Monzino (Milan 1933–1996 Castagnola) assembled over more than 40 years an outstanding and widely renowned collection of high-quality objects, ranging from important tribal art to contemporary post-war art. Monzino moved from Milan to Castagnola in Ticino in 1968, where he lived until his death.

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