The Many Faces of Christ
Portraying the Holy in the East and West, 300 to 1300
Distributed for Reaktion Books
256 pages
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60 color plates, 50 halftones
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6 x 9
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© 2014
- Contents
- Review Quotes
Table of Contents

Contents
Introduction
Part One: The Myth of the Archetypal Image
Lifetime Portraits in Asia
Christian Acheiropoieta and the Authentic Portraits of Christ and the Virgin mary
Mythic and Material Images
Material Indicators of Holy Persons’ Earthly Presence
The Exercise of Sight and the Art of Body Inspection
Figurative and Written Records of the Holy Men’s Physical Characteristics
Part Two: The Looks and Locks of Jesus of Nazareth
Christ’s Controversial Visibility
Handsome or Ugly?
Conflicting Hairstyles
Christ’s ‘Identikit’
The Colour of Christ’s Skin
Disputations on Curly and Woolly Hair
Hair and Priestly Fashion
Christ’s Long Hair and St. Paul’s Baldness
Epilogue
References
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index
Part One: The Myth of the Archetypal Image
Lifetime Portraits in Asia
Christian Acheiropoieta and the Authentic Portraits of Christ and the Virgin mary
Mythic and Material Images
Material Indicators of Holy Persons’ Earthly Presence
The Exercise of Sight and the Art of Body Inspection
Figurative and Written Records of the Holy Men’s Physical Characteristics
Part Two: The Looks and Locks of Jesus of Nazareth
Christ’s Controversial Visibility
Handsome or Ugly?
Conflicting Hairstyles
Christ’s ‘Identikit’
The Colour of Christ’s Skin
Disputations on Curly and Woolly Hair
Hair and Priestly Fashion
Christ’s Long Hair and St. Paul’s Baldness
Epilogue
References
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index
Review Quotes
Felicity Harley-McGowan, University of Melbourne
“This rigorous and innovative study makes a vital contribution to an ongoing debate about the emergence and crystallization of a particular physiognomy for Jesus in Christian art. Drawing upon comparative material from other religious traditions in the ancient world, the author demonstrates an impressive facility with, and command of, a broad range of evidence. Bacci’s fresh insights are compelling and will engage readers from a range of backgrounds and scholarly disciplines.”
Jean-Michel Spieser, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
“This erudite and very innovative book on the invention of Christ’s portrait is the first such study to give full weight to the influence of biblical and later texts that deal with iconic, ascetic beauty.”
Professor Dr. Gerhard Wolf, Director, Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz, Max-Planck-Institut.
“What did Jesus of Nazareth look like? Did he have curly or long, blond or black hair, was his beard short or flowing? Written by a brilliant scholar and narrator, this book is the first comprehensive history of the shaping of Christ’s face in Eastern and Western Christianity from Late Antiquity to the Renaissance. It analyses the search for and promotion of authentic images and authoritative texts. Addressing a wider public, the book offers groundbreaking insights into the religious imagination regarding the nature and role of holy men not only in Christianity but also in Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism, and Islam.”
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