s The Transfiguration - Hull Museums Collections

The Transfiguration

Guiseppe Cesari, known as the Cavaliere d'Arpino, was the favourite artist of the Church of Rome during the last years of the 16th century. He was one of the last representatives of the true Renaissance tradition. The Transfiguration is an example of the artist's later, highly stylised technique. The figures appear frozen in unnatural and theatrical poses. The Transfiguration occurred shortly before Christ entered Jerusalem. He took the disciples Peter, John and James to the top of a high mountain to pray. Whilst there, Christ's face suddenly 'shone like the sun, his garments became white as light' (Matthew 17:2) as he revealed his divine nature to the disciples. Visions of Moses and Elijah then appeared on either side of Christ, and God's voice was heard from a bright cloud overhead saying, "This is my beloved Son." Some of the earliest depictions of this scene date back to Byzantine manuscript illustrations of the 6th century. The Transfiguration is often depicted symbolically as a blue circle with gold stars.