Christ appearing to Saint Peter 

James Tissot, working in the late 19th century, depicted ‘Christ Appearing to Saint Peter’ to capture a biblical scene rich with symbolic weight. The most striking element is Christ’s gesture, his fingers raised in a configuration that resonates through time. It reminds me of the gesture of blessing found in early Christian art, like the mosaics of Ravenna, where holy figures extend their hand with two fingers raised, symbolizing the dual nature of Christ: both divine and human. This gesture didn’t originate in Christianity, though. It echoes similar hand poses found in ancient Roman oratory, adapted to convey authority and benediction. Observe how St. Peter is hunched, his hand to his head as though in shock and grief. Such a posture speaks to the emotional and psychological impact of the divine encounter, a recognition of human frailty before the eternal. This resonates with the Renaissance motif of melancholia, where the body expresses deep inner turmoil. This synthesis of ancient gesture and Christian narrative reminds us of the cyclical nature of images, their power to evoke collective memories, and their capacity to be reborn, transformed across centuries.