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Original fileAllegorische scènes uit het leven van Christus
About This Work
In the center, Christ holds a cross entwined with a serpent and inspects a glass medical vessel filled with human remains. To his left, a personification of Faith catches blood flowing from Christ's side in a chalice, while a suffering figure labeled 'Anima morbida' (Sick Soul) kneels at his feet. The central allegory is framed by an ornate border containing roundels of biblical miracles and Old Testament symbols like the Brazen Serpent and the Pillar of Fire.
This work belongs to the 'Christus Medicus' tradition, which uses the visual language of 16th-century medicine and uroscopy to illustrate spiritual salvation. The inclusion of the Brazen Serpent (Nehushtan) specifically connects Christ to the ancient healing mysteries of the Old Testament, a theme later adopted by Paracelsian and Rosicrucian thinkers who equated spiritual healing with the 'Great Work' of transmutation.