Spanish school; c. 1850.

Spanish school; c. 1850.
"Christ on the Mount of Olives".
Oil on canvas. Reenteado.
It presents damages in the pictorial surface and the frame.
Measurements: 100 x 82 cm; 115 x 100 cm (frame).
This devotional painting represents Jesus in the Garden of Olives at the moment in which the angel comforts him, while his disciples Peter, John and James sleep beside him. The Gospels narrate that, distressed by a strange sadness, Jesus went to pray on the Mount of Olives, where the apostles followed him. Once there, Jesus withdraws to one side to pray, the moment of the crucifixion becoming present to him. Thus, this episode begins the bloody Passion in the soul of Christ. The apostles fall into a deep sleep, and an angel appears to Jesus to comfort him. In fact, this episode alludes to the greatest temptation of Jesus' life, the last of all: knowing his destiny, he can either flee from his enemies or continue to fulfill his divine mission, risking his life. The scene is worked at different levels, showing us in the background the apostles sleeping.