Christ and the Young Child, by Carl Bloch, 1873

You won't find much of this sort of straightforward Christian art on my blog; with the exception of the Renaissance or Baroque periods, I find most religious art pretty boring.  But I think this one is interesting, if only as a perfect example of the fraudulent transformation of an impoverished Middle Eastern Jew into an aristocratic Northern European.  I also love the distinctly uncomfortable looking child, with his awkward stance and sad eyes; he looks like he wants to bolt.

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Carl Heinrich Bloch (23 May 1834, Copenhagen - 22 February 1890, Copenhagen), Danish painter who was best known for his religious scenes, especially those illustrating the life of Jesus.