The elegant, athletic and monumental figure of the Risen Christ embraces the Cross, as he emerges, victorious but humble, from an ominous darkness. The figure of the Risen Christ is inspired by a marble statue by Michelangelo Buonarroti, at the church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome. Guido Reni was a foremost Baroque artist who adopted a classical manner typical of the Bolognese School, that emerged under the influence of the Carracci, of which he became the dominant figure. There are a number of versions of this painting by Reni but this is considered to be the prototype. It is a classical Baroque interpretation of an idealised human figure. Formerly belonging to the Grand Master’s Palace collection, this early 17th-century painting has enjoyed tremendous admiration over the centuries. It stands testimony to the erudite patronage of the Knights of the Order of St John.