The Globe of the Salvator Mundi between Cosmography and Theology

This paper focuses on the globe in depictions of the Salvator Mundi (Redeemer of the World), in which Christ is shown blessing with His right hand and holding the globe of the world in His left hand. From the end of the fifteenth to the start of the seventeenth century these globes show a remarkable diversity which is not observed either earlier or later, and the current paper relates this to the vibrant cosmological, astronomical and also geographical discussions and discoveries of the period. Also discussed is the influence that the theological topic of salvation may have had on the artistic appropriation of cosmographical ideas and their adaption in depictions of the Salvator Mundi’s globe.