Christ with the globe - "Salvator mundi"

The representation of the frontal, blessing Christ as the saviour of the world goes back to the Middle Ages. The blessing gesture with the extra-long fingers is characteristic of the old Dutch art of the 16th century.

What is unusual about the present representation is that the globe is an exact scaled-down replica of a globe that records the cartographic knowledge of the early 16th century. Europe, Africa, a part of South America and Antarctica can be seen. The largest area is occupied by the Atlantic Ocean. In the inscription Caspar Vopel, who worked as a globe builder in Medebach near Cologne, is mentioned as the manufacturer of the globe and the date of manufacture is given as 1537. Since the inscription contains numerous errors, it can be assumed that it is a copy and the painter had no knowledge of Latin. Due to the relations between the Netherlands and Spain, it is obvious that the copy was made in Spain after a lost model.

By combining a picture motif from Christian iconography with the findings of the latest voyages of discovery, the representation brings together Europe's religious, scientific and economic interests in the discovery of the world.