Why it matters
The young Jesus stretches his arms after sawing wood in a carpenter's workshop; their shadow falls on a wooden spar, prefiguring the crucifixion. His mother, seen from behind, looks up at the shadow.
Did you know?
- Hunt worked on it from 1870 to 1873 in the Holy Land.
- The window arch forms a natural halo around Christ's head.
- Mary had been looking into a box holding the gifts of the Magi.
Based on the Wikipedia article The Shadow of Death (CC BY-SA 4.0).
