The Infant Christ as the Good Shepherd

Christ, depicted as a young shepherd, sleeps under the watchful gaze of God and the Holy Spirit. A step beneath are Joseph and Mary; Mary Magdalene reclines at the base, reading. The style is unique to 17thcentury Goan ivory work, which the Portuguese commissioned as diplomatic gifts. It’s a good example of how craftsmen fused indigenous iconography (note the local foliage) with Christian themes despite Church control.

On view at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, which has a vast collection of objects from the subcontinent, collected largely during colonial rule. This item was acquired from an American collector in 1949.