Record number: CHEGM: 1967 114

Description: 'Virgin and Child with the Infant Baptist' attributed to Johann König (1586-1642), oil on silvered copper, c.1614. This represents the Christ Child accepting his future sacrificial death on the cross. The Virgin Mary points to the side of Christ’s body, foreshadowing the wound in his side at the Crucifixion. The Virgin and Child with the infant John the Baptist was a popular image for many artists over the centuries, commissioned by both private patrons and the Church. There are many symbolic references in the painting, but the most obvious are the words "Ecce Agnus Dei" or "Behold the Lamb of God" - Christ being the sacrificial lamb. Transferred from Chester Free Public Library.

Creator: Johann Konig (1586 - 1642)

Date: circa1614

Period: 17th century, early

Dimensions: height 28.2 cm; width 22 cm