Allegory of redemption

This small picture is an allegorical composition representing one of the most important tenets of the Christian faith, the coming of the Messiah, the Saviour of Mankind, as it was announced in the Old Testament and is described in the New Testament. In the background on the left, Moses, the Old Testament prophet, is portrayed beside a burning altar, holding the tablets of the Ten Commandments, the meaning of which was adopted and fully revealed in the teachings of Christ. On the right is St John the Baptist, who preceded Jesus. He embodies the progression from the Old to the New Testament, as he announced the Advent of the Messiah, and recognised Jesus by the River Jordan as the Lamb of God intended to be sacrificed: ‘Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world’ ( Jn 1, 29). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who sacrificed his life for man’s sins, is lit up by divine light in the centre of the picture. At the foot of the cross, the defeated Serpent is writhing in agony. Christ has overcome the power of evil, and saved man from Satan. Allegorical compositions on mythological, biblical and historical themes were popular with educated clients in the epoch of Classical art. Stanisław August (1764–1795), the last King of the Republic of the Two Nations, also liked the theme, and granted Smuglewicz a scholarship to study in Rome.