Although Meunier drew on traditional representations of Christ with an emaciated face, long hair, and a beard, he created a strikingly original depiction: Christ’s parted lips suggest that he is about to speak, and he seems to look out at us with a direct, intense gaze. The truncated shoulder and the disembodied left hand, severed at the wrist and resting on the chest at the level of the heart, render the figure particularly poignant.