Christ as the Good Shepherd

There have been Christian communities in India for fifteen hundred years, and some traditions trace the introduction of Christianity to within a few decades of Christ’s life.

Spreading Christianity was an important goal of the Portuguese, who established the first European colonies in India some five hundred years ago. One of the most important Portuguese-ruled cities was Goa, on the southwestern coast. Artists in Goa produced beautiful artworks with Christian themes, including many intricate ivories.

Here Christ is shown as a boy tending sheep, one of which he holds, and another of which he carries on his shoulder. The setting is a rocky hillside strewn with sheep, with a fountain on one side. In a cave below, a woman reclines reading. She is identified in some sources as Mary Magdalene, and in others as Saint Catherine of Alexandria (Saint Catherine is associated with Goa because it was on her feast day in 1510 that the Portuguese took possession of the city).