OIL ON CANVAS. 18TH-CENTURY SPANISH SCHOOL. RELIGIOUS THEME, "THE GOOD SHEPHERD CHILD". 37X30CM/30X23CM (WITH INSCRIPTION ON THE BACK: "GIFT FROM MY FRIEND MENG") Iconography: From the beginning of Christianity, the "good shepherd" is the image of Jesus of Nazareth who, in his role as shepherd, cares for and saves his flock. This theme is the most frequently represented in early Christian iconography, and evidence can be found from the 2nd century onwards. The inspiration for the earliest representations comes from the image of Orpheus—to whom the gift of charming animals while playing the lyre was attributed—and from the depiction in Roman works where the lamb in the arms was a symbol of philanthropy. In the first theme, the "good shepherd" guards his flock, standing or sitting. The other representation, with the lost lamb in the arms or on the shoulders, is much more widespread and derives directly from the pagan models of the Moschophoros or Hermes (Cryophoros) carrying the sacrificial sheep. From the 6th century onward, the representation of the "Good Shepherd" declined until it disappeared completely in the Middle Ages, only to be revived between the 15th and 16th centuries, before falling into disuse again in the 19th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it sometimes reappeared in the form of the "Divine Shepherdess." The variety of representations is numerous. Common characteristics of the works usually depict a child carrying a staff, crook, or flute, wearing a tunic, and holding a lamb in his lap or carrying it on his shoulders. It has also been represented with the adult Jesus Christ. In painting, it was already found in the catacombs of Saint Callixtus or Domitilla. One of the best-known representations of the "Good Shepherd" is that of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.
