Washing of Christ's feet (Bode Museum)
The icon of the washing of the feet of Christ is a Byzantine ivory carving that is now in the Bode Museum Berlin (inv. No. 2108). It is 16 cm high and 13.7 cm wide. The work of art was created in a workshop in Constantinople in the 10th or 11th century. The head of Christ was added in the 19th century.
The theme is the washing of the feet ( Gospel of John , chapter 13).
The Greek inscription reads: Ο ΝΙΠΤΗΡ ( ho nipter ), "the wash basin." This keyword is taken from Joh 13,5 LUT . His monogram ΙC ΧC was added quite awkwardly by a second hand over the figure of Christ.
The scene takes place in front of an architecture hung with cloths. Christ has just washed Peter's foot in the large basin that stands on the floor. Now he is about to dry his foot with his apron. Peter, who finds it difficult to accept such a service, puts his hand on his head in a defensive gesture. The other disciples sit tightly behind Peter. In the foreground, two disciples are already taking off their sandals. According to the biblical narrative, the viewer's attention is drawn to the action of Christ.
Web links
- German digital library: Christ washing the feet
literature
- Arne Effenberger , Hans Georg Severin : The Museum for Late Antiquity and Byzantine Art / State Museums in Berlin . Philipp von Zabern, Mainz, 1992. ISBN 3-8053-1185-0 . Pp. 216-217.