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Placed in a panoramic landscape St Christopher has an imposing stature and his marked features are very coarse. He is wearing a turban and a red cloak over a blue tunic. Of particular note is the saint's hunched position, emphasising his gigantism. The Child appears to be firmly installed on his shoulder and the softness of his complexion contrasts with the giant's tanned skin. Finally, the hermit who told the saint of his noble vocation can be seen at the mouth of a cave. The river leads our gaze to the background where we can perceive beautiful examples of Gothic architecture.
Purchased from an Austrian collection in 1919 by a Jewish antiquarian, Otto Mayer (1875-1964), this painting was confiscated by the Gestapo in Berlin in October 1933. It passed through several hands before appearing on the walls of the Mauritshuis in The Hague. It was returned to the heirs of Otto Mayer in recent years.
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