Christ as the Good Shepherd (1948)

Christ as the Good Shepherd

On a console Christ is depicted standing with his right leg placed forward. He wears his white robe and a blue cloak (the colors are slightly vervaald by lapse of time). Depicted surrounding Christ are sheep, some looks up to the Lord. Christ carries on his left arm a sheep, across his chest, that has directed his gaze to the Lord; his right arm is resting on the sheep. In the background, with his claws resting on the back of the console , there is a wolf. He represents evil, but the sheep are safe under the protection of the Lord.

History

Sculptor Charles Vos created in 1948 an image of Christ as the Good Shepherd. It was placed above the entrance of the chapel in the community center in the Plankstraat 7. In the second half of 1961 the community center was moved to the Grote Looiersstraat 12, the image moved along and was placed on the facade. After closing the community center (6 September 1969) the city of Maastricht sold the property to a brother of former Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers. The housekeeper of Father Castorius in Didam, Tineke Dijkman, tried to buy the image to give it as a present to Father Castorius on the occasion of his 50th aniversary of his priesthood on March 20, 1989. The Lubbers family did not want to sell the picture, because they felt that it belonged to the house. Hence, the image still adorns the facade of the building in the Grote Looiersstraat.

See: charlesvos