Pseudo-Domenico di Michelino, Christ among the Doctors, The Transfiguration

15th century
Tempera and gold on wood panel.
From a predella
Pinacoteca Vaticana, Rome

The Jesus of the Transfiguration panel is remarkably youthful and unlike what had become the standard portrayal by the 15th century. The boy in the Temple also looks younger than the 12 years reported in Luke's Gospel.

All three of the synoptic gospels narrate the Transfiguration, but this image follows Luke in particular. In that gospel the disciples "saw his glory" upon awakening from a heavy sleep (9:32). Accordingly, the disciple on the right is just rising from his slumber, while the others look in awe at the transfigured Christ on the mountaintop. The latter is of course flanked by Elijah on the right and Moses on the left with the tablets of the Law.

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Photographed at the Pinacoteca Vaticana by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.