William Holman Hunt: The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple, 1855

image courtesy of Birmingham Museums Trust

William Holman Hunt (1827-1910) was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His paintings were notable for their great attention to detail, vivid colour, and elaborate symbolism. Of all the members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Hunt remained most true to their ideals throughout his career. He was always keen to maximize the popular appeal and public visibility of his works.

It was for his religious paintings that Hunt became famous, initially The Light of the World, now in the chapel at Keble College, Oxford, and a later version now in St Paul's Cathedral, London. In the mid-1850s Hunt travelled to the Holy Land in search of accurate topographical and ethnographical material for further religious works. There he painted The Scapegoat, The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple, and The Shadow of Death, along with many landscapes of the region.

This painting illustrates a scene where the child Jesus visits the temple and astonishes the rabbis with his learning and understanding. This was Hunt's major figure subject begun on his first visit to Jerusalem. The painting was a popular success, with two engravings produced in 1867 and 1893.

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HC-1263: card size 7" x 5" (178mm x 127mm)