Portrait of a Carthusian
Petrus Christus
$63.00
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- 380g/m² cotton canvas — certified museum quality
- Solid wood stretcher bar with 0.75” gallery wrap
- HD Giclée print — colour-true to the original
- Ready to hang — hanging hardware included
Portrait of a Carthusian, painted in 1446 by the Flemish master Petrus Christus, stands as one of the most remarkable early Netherlandish portraits in existence. Created at a pivotal moment in the development of Northern European painting, this intimate oil-on-oak panel captures an anonymous monk of the Carthusian order with a psychological intensity that was revolutionary for its time. The subject's calm, inward gaze and the subtle modeling of his features reveal Christus's mastery of the oil medium, a technique he helped refine and disseminate following the legacy of Jan van Eyck.
The painting's extraordinary illusionism is heightened by a painted stone ledge at the base, a trompe-l'œil device that places the viewer in the same physical space as the sitter — blurring the boundary between art and reality. A fly, rendered with breathtaking precision on the ledge, serves as a meditation on mortality and the passage of time. The monk's white habit identifies his austere Carthusian vocation, lending the work both spiritual gravity and biographical specificity. Now housed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, this small yet monumental work continues to captivate scholars and visitors alike. This museum-quality stretched canvas reproduction features a matte fine art canvas with a 0.75-inch gallery wrap, ready to display.
| Artist | Petrus Christus |
| Year | 1446 |
| Medium | Oil on oak |
| Dimensions | Overall 11 1/2 x 8 1/2 in. (29.2 x 21.6 cm); painted surface 11 1/2 x 7 3/8 in. (29.2 x 18.7 cm) |
| Collection | The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
| Movement | Renaissance |
