Storytelling is at the heart of the majority of Christian images. For centuries, before many could read, it was through paintings, drawings, print and sculpture that most people learned the story of Christ’s life. Episodes from that story feature in a large proportion of all the art created over the last two millennia: in the Barber’s Green Gallery, for instance, more than two thirds of the masterpieces on display feature scenes from the life of Jesus.
A particularly effective method for representing the narrative was through positioning episodes from Christ’s life chronologically – the approach adopted in this display, which focusses on Italian prints and drawings from the 15th to 17th centuries, in keeping with the works found in the surrounding Green Gallery. In uniting emotive and dramatic compositions, the story of Christ is revealed before your eyes, as you follow him from birth, through death, to resurrection.
