Statuette of the Good Shepherd

This statuette of the Good Shepherd is a reworked fragment of a large sarcophagus. The theme of the shepherd is one of the most emblematic in ancient Christian art, and the statuette in the Pius-Christian Museum, an eighteenth century reworking of a fragment from a sarcophagus, is undoubtedly one of its most famous and evocative representations. The kriophoros shepherd, holding a ram or a lamb on his shoulders, is an icon rooted in classical art, as a representation of one of the serving faithful and later as an allegory of philanthropy. The image was adopted in funerary art, among the characters of bucolic scenes alluding to otherworldly bliss, and was finally inherited by Christians, in relation to the figure of Christ, the Good Shepherd (Jn 10, 11) and the parable of the lost sheep (Mt 18, 12-14; Lk 15, 4-7). The statuette in the Pius-Christian Museum, with its splendid face recalling Apollo and typical of the most ancient iconography of Christ, is without doubt evidence of the latter semantic evolution. This object is part of Scan The World. Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email [e-mail] to find out how you can help.这件善牧（Good Shepherd）小雕像，系一件经改造的大型石棺残件。牧者主题是古代基督教艺术中最具标志性的主题之一，现藏于庇护基督教博物馆（Pius-Christian Museum）的这件小雕像，实则为18世纪对一件石棺残件的改造作品，无疑是该主题最负盛名且极具感染力的视觉呈现之一。 持羊者（kriophoros）形象以肩扛公羊或羔羊的姿态呈现，其原型植根于古典艺术，最初作为侍奉信徒的具象表现，后来演变为慈善精神的寓言符号。该形象被纳入丧葬艺术之中，出现在寓意来世极乐的田园场景角色中，最终为基督教所承袭，与基督——善牧（《约翰福音》10:11）——的形象以及失羊寓言（《马太福音》18:12-14；《路加福音》15:4-7）紧密关联。 庇护基督教博物馆所藏的这件小雕像，其面容华美雅致，令人联想到阿波罗（Apollo），属于基督早期肖像的典型风格，无疑印证了该形象语义内涵的演变历程。 本件藏品隶属于扫描全球（Scan The World）项目。扫描全球是由MyMiniFactory推出的非营利性公益计划，旨在打造覆盖全球的可3D打印雕塑、艺术品与地标建筑数字档案库，供公众免费获取。该项目采用开源社区共建模式，若您身边有颇具价值的藏品并希望参与贡献，可发送邮件至[e-mail]了解具体参与方式。