Artwork
Head of Christ
Head of Christ is an unspecified painting by Fernando Yáñez de la Almedina. It dates from 1506 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The depiction aligns with standard iconography of Christ as the suffering Messiah, using a solemn expression and modest composition to convey spiritual gravity.
The painting presents a close‑up portrait of Jesus Christ, emphasizing his suffering and humanity. As a religious work created in 1506 by Fernando Yáñez de la Almedina, it functions as a devotional image typical of early‑16th‑century Spanish art, where the close rendering of the face invites contemplation of Christ’s sacrificial role. The depiction aligns with standard iconography of Christ as the suffering Messiah, using a solemn expression and modest composition to convey spiritual gravity.
The work is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, underscoring its significance within the canon of Spanish Renaissance religious painting.
Technique & Style
Head of Christ by Fernando Yáñez de la Almedina is classified as a painting, a religious work depicting Christ. Its modest dimensions, 41.9 cm in height by 30.5 cm in width, indicate it was conceived as a small-scale devotional object rather than a monumental altarpiece. The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Beyond these cataloguing details, the available sources do not specify the medium, support, pigment, handling, condition, or stylistic qualities of the painting.
History & Provenance
Head of Christ is a 1506 painting by Spanish artist Fernando Yáñez de la Almedina. The work portrays Jesus Christ and belongs to the religious genre. It measures 41.9 cm by 30.5 cm and was created in the early sixteenth century.
The painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view; the museum’s records list the work as part of its holdings and note its inception in 1506. No further documented ownership history or commission details are recorded in the available sources.
Overview
Fernando Yáñez de la Almedina's Head of Christ, painted in 1506, exemplifies the early Renaissance style. This work by the Spanish artist, born around 1475, is a significant example of the period's religious portraiture. It is currently housed in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, representing a key moment in the transmission of Renaissance artistic principles to Spain.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Fernando (or Hernando) Yáñez de la Almedina, born in Almedina, Spain in c. 1475 and died in Valencia, Kingdom of Spain in 1536, was a Spanish painter. He was one of the most important early Renaissance painters in…
