John Rogers Herbert (1810-1890),
Our Savior Subject to His Parents at Nazareth, 1860, oil on canvas. Brigham Young University Museum of
Art,
purchased with funds provided by Jack R. and Mary Lois Wheatley.
Today's Artwork of the Day is a highlight of the MOA's religious collection. Though scripture yields little details about the Savior's youth, many nineteenth-century artists imagined scenes from Christ's life in an effort to more fully explore His character and historical reality. English artist John Rogers Herbert's tableau of Jesus working along His parents reveals an unadorned presentation of the Holy Family in their humble home, with studied details of topography and clothing derived from the artist's travels to the Holy Land. Such cultural insights were intended to make the Savior's life more authentic to contemporary viewers.