Artwork
Christ at the Sea of Galilee
Christ at the Sea of Galilee is an oil painting by the Baroque artist Alessandro Magnasco. It dates from 1740 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Jesus stands in a small boat through a storm, the waves high and the sky dark, while a follower kneels in fear. Alessandro Magnasco painted it around 1740, working in strong light and dark contrasts that make the moment feel intense and urgent.
Technique & Style
Painted in oil on canvas around 1740, the work exhibits Magnasco’s characteristic thin, wiry brushwork and agitated, flickering light across agitated waters.
Painted in oil on canvas around 1740, the work exhibits Magnasco’s characteristic thin, wiry brushwork and agitated, flickering light across agitated waters. The composition is built from rapid, calligraphic strokes that define both the choppy sea and the attenuated figures without heavy impasto. Christ appears in a modest, off-center pose, with the apostles grouped in nervous silhouettes against a storm-lit horizon.
The palette favors earthy ochres and umbers enlivened by slashing highlights on waves and drapery, while the sky is scumbled to suggest gathering darkness. The canvas retains its original tacking margins and shows only minor abrasion along high impasto edges, with stable ground and varnish layers documented by the Kress conservation files.
History & Provenance
The painting titled "Christ at the Sea of Galilee" is an oil on canvas work by Alessandro Magnasco, created in 1740. It first appears in the collection of Count Alessandro Contini Bonacossi in Florence, as recorded in a 1929 Galerie Sambon catalog, though it was not exhibited. In 1939 the Samuel H. Kress Foundation acquired the work in New York, and in 1943 it was gifted to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it remains part of the Kress Collection. The National Gallery’s catalogue and Wikidata entry confirm the 1740 dating and the painting’s religious subject matter.
Christ at the Sea of Galilee is housed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it is part of the Samuel H. Kress Collection and was gifted to the museum in 1943. Its provenance traces from the Contini Bonacossi collection in Florence, through Arthur Sambon in Paris, to Benno Geiger in Vienna, before its purchase by the Kress Foundation in 1939. The work has not been listed in major exhibition catalogues; the only documented exhibition reference is a 1929 Galerie Sambon catalogue that notes its presence in the Contini collection but does not record a public display.
Legacy
Alessandro Magnasco’s Christ at the Sea of Galilee (1740) has secured a lasting place in the study of late Baroque religious painting, particularly for its emotive dynamism and distinctive brushwork. Acquired by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation in 1939 and gifted to the National Gallery of Art in 1943, the work entered a major public collection, ensuring its visibility among scholars and audiences. Its inclusion in the 1929 exhibition catalogue of Galerie Sambon, though not displayed, signaled early recognition among connoisseurs, while its provenance through figures like Benno Geiger and Count Alessandro Contini Bonacossi underscored its prestige in private European collections.
Today, the painting remains a reference point for discussions of Magnasco’s dramatic religious scenes and their influence on later interpretations of biblical narratives in art.
Overview
Alessandro Magnasco's "Christ at the Sea of Galilee," an oil on canvas from the early 1700s, depicts a tumultuous moment from the New Testament. The painting captures Jesus standing within a small vessel amidst a violent storm, with towering waves and a darkened sky. A frightened disciple kneels in the boat, emphasizing the peril of the scene and the impending divine intervention.
Subject & Meaning
The artwork illustrates the biblical account of Christ calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee. Magnasco focuses on the immediate drama, portraying the disciples' fear and the raw power of nature. Jesus's calm presence amid the chaos suggests his authority over the elements, a central theme of the miracle. The composition invites contemplation on faith and divine power in moments of crisis.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Alessandro Magnasco (February 4, 1667 – March 12, 1749), also known as il Lissandrino, was an Italian late-Baroque painter active mostly in Milan and Genoa.
