The Shadow of Death

This minutely detailed painting depicts the young Jesus stretching after his day’s labor in his father’s carpentry shop. His mother kneels behind him, looking up at his shadow, which seems to prefigure his crucifixion. The painting teems with symbolism. For example, the star-shaped aperture above the window recalls the light that guided a group of priestly wise men, called Magi, to the newborn Jesus, and the red headdress at his feet foreshadows the crown of thorns he will wear at his execution.

William Holman Hunt, a founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, was committed to direct observation of nature. This work is the third and final version of a composition the artist began in 1869 in Jerusalem, where he could study the setting from life. It was commissioned by the London dealers Thomas Agnew & Sons as the model for a print. The Art Institute’s collection also includes an early proof of that print.

This is one of thirty-five works that comprise the Winterbotham Collection. Click here to learn more about the collection.