Christ in Gethsemane

This exquisite panel painting depicts Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before his crucifixion, while his disciples sleep. On the winding road which leads to the distant city of Jerusalem, a group of soldiers, led by Judas, are coming to arrest Christ. The intense colour, small scale and attention to detail are reminiscent of book illuminations. In fact, a similar composition in Cleveland Museum of Art, also by Timoteo Viti, is a full-page miniature executed in tempera on vellum.Preparatory drawings have been identified which relate to the figures of Christ (Hamburg) and a sleeping disciple (Louvre).