The Good Shepard
This mid-3rd century catacomb painting shows one of the most recurrent themes in Early Christian art: the Shepherd carrying a sheep, (John 10:1-21;Luke 15:1-7 and 11-32). The Shepherd represents Jesus who will search lovingly for even one wandering Child of God and rejoice when it is found. In the Priscilla "Good Shepherd" the Shepherd holds the lost sheep upon his shoulders as two other sheep look on with rapt attention. What is left of the chipping plaster shows paints of an earthy green and brown. The figures are relatively small and are a part of a larger wall painting that includes praying figures and the Old Testament story of Jonah and the Whale, (Lowden p.26).
Lowden, John. Early Christian and Byzantine Art. London: Phaidon Press Limited, 1997.
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