Critical Introduction

In the most popular accounts of The Life of Saint Christopher, such as the Jacobus de Voragine's Golden Legend, Christopher is a giant of great strength. He seeks to pledge himself to the strongest leader he can, first starting with a tyrannical king he rejects because the king fears the devil. He then tries to follow the devil, but rejects him because the devil fears a cross. A hermit convinces him to follow Christ and baptizes him. A giant saint is an interesting mix of the monstrous and the holy, but a few versions of the story add another monstrous element, giving Christopher a dog's head and thereby turning him into a cynocephalus, one of the most fearsome creatures of the Wonders of the East. There are only a few illustrations of Christopher that include his dog's head. One of the most dramatic is found in a German martyrology— a manuscript that contains a series of stories about Christian martyrs and saints, arranged by the order of their feast days. In this image, Christopher is absolutely massive, towering over the many-tiered fantasy architecture of a city. People that would fit in his palm of his hand gaze upon him in wonder, though not in apparent fear. The image is somewhat playful, with Christopher's feet poking out through two city gates. He faces us directly, staring out at us. His face is perhaps as leonine as canine, but in either case, his expression is friendly. This monster is, after all, a saint, as indicated by his halo, as well as his presence in this catalogue of martyrs.

Viewing Questions

How has the artist worked to present this figure as both saint and monster? How has the artist suggested that Christopher is different from but still connected with the people of his city?