Christ Washing the Feet of His Disciples, by Nicolas Bertin, 1720–30
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Christ Washing the Feet of His Disciples

Nicolas Bertin (French, 1668–1736)

1720–30

Medium
Oil on panel
Classification
Painting
Dimensions
49.5 × 72.1 cm (19 1/2 × 28 3/8 in.); Framed: 72.4 × 94.7 × 7.7 cm (28 1/2 × 37 1/4 × 3 in.)
Culture
France
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago, Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Credit line
Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester Collection
Rights
Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed

View at the Art Institute of Chicago

About this work

Nicolas Bertin was primarily a painter of religious, mythological, and allegorical subjects. Although trained in the rigorous French academic traditions, he often emulated the broader style of Titian, Paolo Veronese, and other Venetian Renaissance masters. For his depiction of Christ washing Saint Peter's feet just after the Last Supper (John 13:4-5), Bertin created a majestic, theatrical backdrop reminiscent of those in Veronese's pictures. Through gesture and facial expression Bertin adeptly described a range of emotions, from surprise and puzzlement to humility.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0