Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf
Painting of Haidt Depicting Zinzendorf and Christ’s Side-wound
This oil painting by Johann Valentin Haidt (1700-1780) depicts the wounded side (Greek: pleura, John 19:34; 20:20, 25, 27) of the crucified Lord, which is here wreathed in light with the glory of God beaming from His side. The Greek characters in the upper right-hand corner indicate the theme of the picture: “But now the glory of the Lord is reflected in all of us in our unveiled faces” (based on 2 Cor. 3:18).
The right-hand side of the picture shows Zinzendorf in a brown coat with gestures of a teacher. Beams, from the side-wound, land on the Count’s head, mouth, and heart. A further beam is directed towards the buildings, which can be seen faintly in the background on the right-hand side of the picture. The people on the left-hand side of the picture represent the nations of the world. Their gestures indicate that they are receiving from Zinzendorf.
Zinzendorf stressed Jesus’ five wounds on the Cross, and especially His side-wound, which indicated God’s saving action through the death of Jesus on the Cross. The contemplation and veneration of the wounds, and representation of them in words and pictures, reached their climax in the so-called Sifting Time of the Moravian Church (1743-1750). In particular the side-wound was for the Moravian Church of this period the source of life and place of secure refuge with God.
