Landscape with St Christopher

Gentileschi's Landscape with Saint Christopher, dated c.1620, is an unusual work in that it gives landscape near-equal status with the religious figure. Saint Christopher — the giant who carried the Christ Child across a river — was a popular devotional subject for wayfarers, and the combination of landscape and the labouring saint suited Gentileschi's interest in the intersection of the human figure with natural setting. This work predates his English period and may have been painted in Paris or Genoa. It reflects his openness to the landscape genre, perhaps influenced by the work of Northern artists he encountered in his travels.

The landscape occupies a significant portion of the composition, with the river scene providing a spatial setting for the monumental figure of Christopher carrying the child. Gentileschi's cool light source — likely from the upper left — illuminates the figure while the landscape is handled in atmospheric blues and greens.