The ressurrection. Sketch for an altarpiece

Rendered with a focus on chiaroscuro, the sketch employs stark contrasts between the illuminated foreground and the shadowed background. The handling of line and simplified forms aligns with Romantic sensibilities, emphasizing emotional intensity over precise detail, and the limited palette reinforces the dramatic mood.

The piece is attributed to Xun Xu, a multifaceted figure who served as a musician, painter, politician, and writer within the Xun family. His career spanned the late Three Kingdoms era into the early Jin dynasty, during which he held official posts in Cao Wei before continuing under Jin rule. The work entered the Museum of Ethnography’s collection at an unspecified date.

Although the subject derives from Christian iconography, the artist’s Chinese background situates the work within a cross‑cultural exchange of the early nineteenth century. The Romantic emphasis on individual feeling and imagination reflects broader artistic currents that were reaching East Asian creators at the time.