Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane 1700 - 1767

Gaspare Diziani rendered this sketch of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane with pen and watercolor. We see Christ kneeling in anguish, an angel offering him solace, and looming above, a cross. The cross, initially a symbol of utter humiliation and death, undergoes a profound transformation. Its presence here signifies not just impending doom but also the promise of redemption and resurrection. We see this echoed in earlier depictions of sacrificial symbols across cultures, from ancient Roman depictions of the crucifixion to the Germanic pagan symbol of the Irminsul, a sacred tree or pillar destroyed by Charlemagne that some scholars believe was totemic and took the form of a cross. The anguish etched on Christ’s face speaks to a universal human experience: confronting mortality. Diziani captures this moment of intense emotional and psychological struggle with the bold strokes of the angel and the cross. It remains a powerful image that engages our collective memory, reminding us of the cyclical nature of suffering, sacrifice, and renewal.