Yet Even More Infant Christs Receiving Piggy-Back Rides in Western Art History

Last week: A history of the infant Christ being given piggy-back rides in Western art. “The motif of the Christ-child being hauled across a river, comes from the legend of St. Christopher, one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. After his conversion, Christopher (often depicted as a giant) spent his life ferrying passengers across a turbulent river; one day a child asked for passage, and with each step grew heavier and heavier, until they reached the other side in safety and he revealed that he was the Christ, and carried with him the weight of the world.”

There were simply too many prime examples of God as a baby fussily receiving a piggy-back ride for a single newsletter, and so I’m back this week with even more demanding infant Christs.

you there

dont get me wet

i said dont get me wet

i dont want to get my feet wet please

[Anonymous, c. 1515]

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i dont like this side of the river. take me back

and i dont like the look of this fellow

and i dont like how he’s done his hair and i don’t like the way he’s pointing and that key is ludicrously oversized

i think he is impertinent

i think everything on this side of the river is impertinent and badly trimmed and i dont want to be here at all so take me back at once

[Jörg Breu the Elder, 1502]

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wheeeeeeeeeeeeee

[Attrib. Pseudo Jan Wellens de Cock, c. 1500s]

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and moreover i want her sword

and moreover than that i want the fish you’ve got in your purse, ferryman

only im not allowed to use the stove yet so you’ve got to make a fire for me once we reach the shore

and i want to eat it with the potatoes my mother makes

and it mustn't be too hot but i dont want to eat it cold either

and i can’t pull the bones out so you’ll have to pull the bones out of the fish for me too

i say, she looks as if she doesn’t want to give me her sword

you had better see to it that she does

only i might not be able to carry it just yet

so perhaps she’d better keep on carrying it until i am a little bit bigger

i expect to be quite a lot bigger next year

i’ll be very big and eat all the fish i want

and probably use the stove all the time

[Workshop of Cranach the Elder, c. 1513-1518]

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but i dont want to steady myself on that bumpled old walking stick

your head is much closer

and you might give a little jump every now and again

in order to bounce and delight your Lord

[Cranach the Elder, 1514]

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and i want to go much much faster now

twice as fast

but not so fast that i get scared or jostled at all

and once you’ve gone too fast the whole trip will be ruined and i will be inconsolable

so don’t do that please

[Anonymous, late 16thC]

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i told you that i didn’t want to go too fast!!!!

and where has the sun gone, please?

[Adam Elsheimer, c. 1600]

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i like you, big man

you may continue to carry me even after we cross the river, if you like

until i am five

[Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1473]

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and once we are across i want some of that bread

and then i want you to climb that tree so i can see further

but mind you don’t drop me please

and then i want to go back again but a little bit faster

but only a little bit faster

not too fast

please

[Jan Mostaert, c. 1520]

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this time i think i would like to go to the left please

but not all the way to the left

just as close to the shore as possible so i can look at it

but dont put me down yet!!!

do not put your Lord down

i just want to examine it before deciding where i want to get off

and then i want to go see the boats

i would like to be the captain of the big one please

[Workshop of Master of the female Half-Lengths, c. 1530s]