47. What did Jesus look like, is there any authentic portrait of Christ in existence?

Perhaps the oldest and supposedly the most authentic is a cameo, said to have been cut in the reign of Tiberius, but it may not now be in existence. The Christs of the great artists are the highest ideal to which human art can attain.

There is the divinely noble yet sad Christ of Ary Scheffer; the placid Christ of Raphael; the strenuous Christ of Da Vinci; the suffering, thorn-crowned Christs of Guido Reni, Quentin Matsys, Rembrandt, Titian, Correggio and Albert Durer; the ascetic Christ of Munkacsy, and the later presentations of the Dutch, French, Spanish and English schools.

Each artist has given to the world his highest conception according to the standards of his nation. But the real face of the Saviour, glorious with its fulness of power and majesty, yet inexpressibly tender with love and sympathy, has eluded them all. Isaiah (53:2) gave a prophetic glimpse of him that was to come.