16. Extraordinary Jesus Images

Abstract

The last of three art chapters looks at example images, especially those which were understood to be especially accurate or powerful. It begins with a statistical overview, using correspondence analysis of the metadata of thousands of Jesus images to chart shifts in subject matter over time and space. We then turn to miraculous images by describing what they depicted, what they achieved, and how they were activated. A small number of Jesus images were considered especially faithful representations, having been either pressed upon his body or created by an eyewitness. These speak to the plain ken, given their interest in the first-century Jesus, and in the mechanisms of replicating an appearance in spacetime. From these developed a tradition of lifelike Jesus portraits that converged with secular representations of individuals. Perhaps the most arresting Jesus images are those visualized as drenched with blood, which the owner could physically lance or use in connection with indulgences.