High-Res Catholic Images

Christ Heals the Blind Man, Painting by Carl Bloch

2011-12-29T21:52:00.001-06:00

Click to download a high-res image of Christ healing the blind man

With unprecedented realism and uplifting vision, Carl Bloch shows us the wonder of Christ healing the blind man.

Bloch displays many of life’s usual suspects in this painting. There's the skeptic (red hat, on the left), the carefree child wanting to see where all the action is at (lower left center), the dutiful apostle restraining the child from interrupting the miracle (right of child), the hopeful-pious servant watching Jesus with a holy joy (right of Jesus), the fellow right behind the hopeful-pious servant observing the skepticism of the skeptic, and the two men on top of the wall who watch with expectation but got stuck in the nose-bleed section.

All the viewers watch and wait – permanently caught in the brush strokes of Carl Bloch.

One of the more popular themes for many artists, Jesus healing the blind man, has several references in the New Testament. One that appears most fitting for this painting comes from the Evangelist Saint Mark. Right before the passage on Jesus healing the blind man, He speaks to his apostles about "whosoever shall be the first among you, shall be the servant of all. For the Son of man is not come to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a redemption for many." - Mark 10:44-45

To immediately practice exactly what He preaches, Jesus Christ shows an excellent example of "ministering": He heals a blind man. One of the other neat things about this passage is that it actually refers to the blind man by name: Bartimeus, which is a Syriac word literally translating as 'son of Timaeus'. People in the New Testament who are miraculously healed usually don't have recorded names. Perhaps this is another reason why Carl Bloch decided to paint such a prominent scene.

Jesus Christ performing the miracle of healing the blind is an example of healing mankind of his spiritual blindness. Often it becomes simple to forget about the spiritual aspect of reality, to become 'blind' to what really matters. Jesus Christ is the one to remove our spiritual blindness in order for us to continue on the road to perfection. Hopefully, we can be like the blind and 'leap up' to directly follow Christ forever.

For the verbatim story of healing the blind man, Saint Mark tells it quite well, so we finish with his rendition of the story:

“And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho, with his disciples, and a very great multitude, Bartimeus the blind man, the son of Timeus, sat by the way side begging. Who when he had heard, that it was Jesus of Nazareth, began to cry out, and to say: Jesus son of David, have mercy on me. And many rebuked him, that he might hold his peace; but he cried a great deal the more: Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus, standing still, commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying to him: Be of better comfort: arise, he calleth thee. Who casting off his garment leaped up, and came to him. And Jesus answering, said to him: What wilt thou that I should do to thee? And the blind man said to him: Rabboni, that I may see. And Jesus saith to him: Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he saw, and followed him in the way. – Mark 10:46-52

The Magnificat Painting by James Tissot

2011-07-02T14:47:00.000-05:00

Click to download a high-res image

Originally painted as a watercolor, French artist and illustrator James Tissot captures the moment the blessed virgin Mary recites the Magnificat while visiting her relations Elizabeth and Zacharias (notice them looking on in the background).

The Virgin Mary raises her hands in a gesture of praise and prayer while reciting the Magnificat in response to Elizabeth’s statement:

“And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord.

And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name. And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him. He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy: As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.” – LK 1:45-55

Tissot was known for spending time in the Holy Land and painting a plethora of scenes from the life of Christ. What particularly sets him aside from other artists’ renditions of the life of Christ is his authenticity in displaying accurately the ethnic garb and customs that were in place while Christ walked the earth. Though this deviates from many of the typical Western-art depictions of the life of Christ, the viewer has the opportunity for a more historically accurate glimpse into the true visual appearances of the time.

Many of Tissot's artistic renditions also reveal some never-before seen ‘footage’ of the life of Christ. Two paintings in particular demonstrate this concept: What Our Savior Saw from the Cross and The Virgin Mary in Old Age. The first depicts the crucifixion through the eyes of Christ, and the second depicts our Blessed Mother kneeling on Mt. Calvary at the hole where the cross of her Son once rested.

Download the high-res version of this image and other works of Tissot at Restored Traditions. http://www.restoredtraditions.com/the-magnificat---tissot.aspx

The Madonna of Catholic Kings by Gallego

2010-12-23T12:13:00.003-06:00

Click to Download the High-Res Image

The Madonna of Catholic kings illustrates the Virgin Mary holding the child Jesus being adored by prominent Catholic figures around the time of the composition of this painting. Mary and Jesus, prominently sitting on an ornate throne and garbed in rich vestments, watch over and protect those who pray to them.

King Ferdinand V is kneeling on the left with St. Thomas Aquinas standing (holding the church); a young Don Juan kneels to the right of Ferdinand. Queen Isabelle is kneeling on the right with Saint Dominic above her, holding the lily and book.

A primary point to be drawn from the painting is the idea that authority comes from God first—then temporal and spiritual leaders. The King, Queen and Saints in this image all testify to the fact by showing the due respect to God and His mother.

Download the high-resolution version of the image.

http://www.restoredtraditions.com/virgin-of-catholic-kings-gallego.aspx

Painting of A Jam-Packed High Mass

2010-07-21T19:39:00.002-05:00

High Mass at a Fishing Village on the Zuyder Zee by George Clausen

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We like this image, because it captures an all too relevant theme for many Catholics. Many have been at a crowded Mass. Perhaps we think that it would be nice to have some more breathing room, or maybe that the person's children two rows back should have been physically removed twenty minutes ago. On the flip side though, isn't a crowded Mass a good sign of devotion? Something to be thankful for?

The central woman in the painting shows us the determination of a devout soul to stay focused during Mass. Being the farthest removed participant, she probably can't even hear or see what's going on in the Mass. She stands and kneels when she sees those in front of her change positions. And, probably because she can't see or hear the Mass, she prays her rosary to stay focused and devout. A small child leans up against her, gazing off into space—much like many at her age seem to do.

This image can provide excellent inspiration for those relating to the over-crowded Mass.

Madonna of the Sacred Coat, Painting by Chambers

2010-05-07T11:15:00.002-05:00

Click to download a high-res image of the painting

The Blessed Virgin tenderly eyes the beholder with a smile for the Redemption her Son has won, but with the sorrow of the price He paid. In the center, the youthful looking Virgin clutches a brown coat. Due to her young appearance, it is probable that this portrait of the Mother Mary was meant to be well before the Passion of Jesus Christ—perhaps after she had just made the seamless tunic, which she knew would eventually suffer with her Son.

The Sacred Coat, which Our Lady holds in the painting, is referred to in Scripture:

"The soldiers therefore, when they had crucified him, took his garments, (and they made four parts, to every soldier a part,) and also his coat. Now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said then one to another: Let us not cut it, but let us cast lots for it, whose it shall be; that the scripture might be fulfilled, saying: They have parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture they have cast lots." John 19:23-24

The artist (Charles Bosseron Chambers) is said to have painted many of his religious subjects purely from imagination. He painted this rendition of the Madonna as an altar piece for Saint Ignatius Church, Chicago, where it still resides today.

Image of The Merciful Knight by Edward Jones

2010-03-02T13:29:00.000-06:00

Download a high-res version of the Merciful Knight by Edward Burne-Jones

Decked out in battle array, ready to fight to the death against all foes and cast with the fortitude of iron, the iconic knight kneels for his most gentle and humble King — Christ on the Cross. We notice an uncertainty, even a meekness of spirit, in the face of the knight. Is he feeling remorse for his sins? Is he truly terrified of the fight he will soon enter? Are these going to be his last moments of breath? Does the title Merciful Knight indicate that he has already shown mercy, or is the knight asking for the grace to show mercy to his foes at the proper time?

If we can interpret the look on his face as an act of charitable contrition and a plea for strength, then we can derive that the Knight will achieve his physical and spiritual goals. Jesus, coming down from the Crucifix in this wayside shrine, provides us with an artistic testament that His grace (working through us) will conquer all.

"And the God of peace crush Satan under your feet speedily.The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you." Romans 16:20

Check out other great images of chivalry here.

Antonio Ciseri's Painting 'Ecce Homo'

2010-02-22T18:56:00.002-06:00

We've found this image (Ecce Homo – Behold the Man) to be helpful for meditation on the Passion. One of the reasons it is such an aid is because it leaves much for the imagination. Specifically, we don't see the faces of Jesus or Pilate from the front (as is usually the case in art). Instead, we have a view from the rear of the scene, as if from the view of a roman servant in waiting.

What pulls the eye in right away, of course, is the central scene of Pilate displaying Jesus to the Jews and saying 'Behold the Man.' Even if the title of this painting wasn't "Ecce Homo," it's still simple to derive that this is indeed the moment the artwork captures. Notice the motion of Pilate's arm, pointing towards Christ, the crown of thorns barely visible on Christ's head, and the exposed back indicating the recent flagellation.

When the eye wanders more through the painting, it will notice the most visible face in the entire image: that of the woman on the right. The look of anguish on her face, her outstretched arm embracing her friend (or servant perhaps) for emotional support—all indicate that this figure would be none other than the wife of Pontius Pilate.

"And as he (Pontius Pilate) was sitting in the place of judgment, his wife sent to him, saying: Have thou nothing to do with that just man; for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him." Matt 27:19

If it was her explicit wish for her husband to have nothing to do with a just man, then her emotional pain displayed in the picture makes perfect sense. The moment Pilate begins to announce that he has tortured the Christ, her heart sinks as the realization truly sets in that her husband displayed cruelty to the just man, despite her warnings. She turns from his side and begins slowly withdrawing—the moment captured in this painting.

We can relate to the agony of Pilate's wife by inserting how our own sins have caused the suffering of Jesus. The brilliance of the perspective of Pilate's wife is that she, apparently, had no idea that Jesus was God or that he was dying for ours sins. If she had so much sorrow simply because she sensed that something was awry and unjust, imagine how great her sorrow could have been had she known the sublime and grim reality of what was happening before her eyes.

Download the high-resolution image of Ecce Homo

Why St. Cyril was a Trooper

2010-02-09T16:06:00.000-06:00

After taking a look at the life of St. Cyril, it’s easy to see him as a man who always came into a situation with both barrels blazing. Seriously, Cyril took no prisoners. When he became Patriarch of Alexandria in 412, he “assembled a mob” that booted out a certain group of people who had been persecuting Christians in the area.

Before Cyril became Patriarch, he had to survive a riot that ensued due to a rivalry for the Patriarchy.

After Cyril became Patriarch of Alexandria, he went at it with the prefect of Egypt, Orestes, who thought Cyril was a rival to his authority and was also irate that Cyril kicked out of Egypt that certain group of people who had been persecuting Christians. Yes, you guessed it, a serious brawl ensued as a result of the conflict between Cyril and Orestes. 500 (yes, five hundred) monks came swinging out of the lower deserts of Egypt (Nitria) to defend Cyril. Can you imagine 500 men with big beards and worn-monastic habits storming into a fight against Oreste's soldiers? One word comes to mind: Fortitude. One of the monks actually beamed Orestes with a rock during the skirmish. Orestes had the stone slinging monk tortured; the monk died as a result. Cyril actually honored the remains of the rock lobbing monk for a time.

Cyril, in league with Pope Celestine I, is most known for intellectually duking it out with Nestorius, who was the Patriarch of Constantinople (present day Istanbul). At one point, the Emperor (Theodosius II) had both Nestorius and Cyril arrested. The emperor, however, cut Cyril loose after Papal Legates showed up on his doorstep saying that Pope Celestine endorsed Cyril’s condemnation of Nestorius.

So what was the big deal with Nestorius? Well, he promoted the heresy of Nestorianism, which says that “Mary was not the Mother of God since Christ was Divine and not human, and consequently she should not have the word theotokos (God-bearer) applied to her.”

Cyril was the bedrock for the third general Council of Ephesus in 431, which declared Nestorianism a Heresy. Oddly enough, a group of bishops that sided with Nestorius convened their own council after the one at Ephesus and deposed Cyril (this is the point where Cyril and Nestorius got arrested by the Emperor).

But the biggest reason why St. Cyril of Alexandria is a ‘Trooper’ is his doctrine, which has been quoted by multiple Church councils—Cyril has the title Doctor of the Church. Here is an excerpt from his book on the Divine Motherhood of Mary:

“In the third book of his work on the holy and consubstantial Trinity, our father Athanasius, of glorious memory, several times refers to the holy Virgin as "Mother of God." I cannot resist quoting his own words: "As I have often told you, the distinctive mark of holy Scripture is that it was written to make a twofold declaration concerning our Savior; namely, that he is and has always been God, and that for our sake in these latter days he took flesh from the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and became man."

We chose this quote because it ties Saints Cyril and Athanasius together, which are the two Saints who appear in the icon we have on our Website.

Source: St. Cyril of Alexandria from the Catholic Encyclopedia

St. John Lateran's by Piranesi

2010-02-02T13:29:00.004-06:00

The featured image this week is called "St. John Lateran's" by Giovanni Battista Piranesi. This particular image is a photograph of an an antique, hand-colored engraving. In this case, we wanted to leave the look of the original image intact as much as possible. This is why it still has an overall 'brown' look and also why you can see the plate marks around the border of the image.

The Most Popular Catholic Artwork Today

2010-01-27T18:09:00.011-06:00

For several years now, our Website users at Restored Traditions have favored the following 25 images of Catholic artwork. Click on any image to download it in high-resolution. Enjoy!

Cowboy Praying the Rosary
by Don Smith

The Prayer
by Bouguereau

Jesus My Lord and My God

The Bread of Life

The Elevation

Thy Will be Done
by C.B. Chambers

St. Therese Visiting
The Holy Family

Madonna and the Child

by Sassoferrato

Queen of Angels
by Bouguereau

L'Innocence
by Bouguereau

Song of the Angels
by Bouguereau

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

Christ the King

Christ at 33
by Hofmann

Come Unto Me
by C.B. Chambers

Madonna of the Rosary
by C.B. Chambers

Our Lady of the Bowed Head

The Sacred Heart

The Immaculate Heart
by C.B. Chambers

The Sacred Heart
by C.B. Chambers

The Immaculate Heart
by Zabateri

Ecce Homo (behold the man)
by A. Ciseri

Compassion
by Bouguereau

It is Consummated
by C.B. Chambers

The Resurrection
by Carl Bloch

The Refuge of the Shepherdess within the Crucifix Shrine

2010-01-25T08:49:00.001-06:00

The featured image this week is called 'Refuge' by an unknown artist. The beauty of this image is the three messages that are portrayed. The young shepherdess has sought physical refuge within the protection of the Crucifix shrine. Christ on the Cross watches over her spiritually (protecting her from the storms of life) while, at the same time, affording her physical protection from the raging storm. Finally, she clutches closely a white lamb in her arms, the lamb being a figure of the Christ referenced multiple times in the Old & New Testaments.

"I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are they that wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb: that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city." Apocalypse 22:13-14 Source

The Standard

2010-01-11T11:40:00.000-06:00

The featured picture this week is an image of an antique engraving entitled "The Standard." The courage of the Catholic priest is superbly shown in this image. The rage of a battle is howling all around, while the priest fearlessly helps move a wounded soldier. Why this artwork is called "The Standard," one can only speculate. There is no visible 'standard' in the image so, perhaps, the intention of the artist was to display 'The Standard' of charity—caring for our fellow man for the sole purpose of bringing glory to God.

What Our Savior Saw From the Cross

2010-01-05T16:34:00.000-06:00

What Our Savior Saw From the Cross

We want you to experience the quality of our images without having to pay a dime, which is why this high-resolution, Catholic-art image is free for you to download. Make sure to visit us next week for another free, High-Resolution art download.

The featured picture this week is a painting in the French Victorian Neoclassical style by James Jacques Joseph Tissot (1836-1902) This painting renders a unique view of the Crucifixion on Mount Calvary: the view of Jesus hanging from the Cross. The kneeling figure at the bottom of the image appears to be Mary Magdalene, while Our Lady appears to be standing in the center with Saint John to her right. The high-priests sit on their mules off to the right of the image while the Centurion, St. Longinus, is off to the upper left of the picture. To the left and right of Saint Longinus are two sitting, Roman soldiers with lances—quite possibly one of the same lances that Longinus would later use to pierce the side of Jesus.

Thanksgiving on the Field of Agincourt

2009-12-30T12:36:00.000-06:00

For this week, this high-resolution image is free for you to download on our Website. Image is public domain and royalty free.

Artist: Edmund Blair Leighton (1853-1921)

Title: Thanksgiving Service on the Field of Agincourt
King Henry V of England kneels in the background, crown on ground, on the field of Agincourt where had just been fought an epic battle between English and French. The kneeling priest in the foreground leads the soldiers in prayers of thanksgiving for their victory, which God had granted them. The priest and crossbearer are the only figures with their mouths open, thus indicating the intonation of one of the hymns that King Henry commanded to be sung in thanksgiving and charity:

"Do we all holy rites;
Let there be sung 'Non Nobis' and 'Te Deum;'
The dead with charity enclosed in clay."
From Shakespeare's Henry V

Free

2009-12-21T20:59:00.000-06:00

This High-Resolution, Catholic-art image is free for you to download. Make sure to visit us next week for another free, High-Resolution art download.

The featured picture this week is a painting by William Adolph Bouguereau entitled 'The Prayer.' The innocence of a child's prayer is captured in the life-like drama of Bouguereau's exquisite style. Some speculate that this particular rendition was meant, by the artist, to be the Blessed Virgin Mary as a child. Yet, since there is not even the faintest hint of a halo around the young woman's head, it remains mere speculation as the Virgin is traditionally depicted with some form of a halo. Regardless, this painting remains a classic manifestation of the physical beauty of Bouguereau's subject and the metaphysical splendor of the theme: transcendence of the soul to God through prayer.

Larger Images, More Art Info.

2009-12-09T09:59:00.000-06:00

Our Advent sale is still in full swing, and we're happy to announce that we've completed adding more detailed information to each image listed on our site. Each high-resolution image now has a more detailed description of its origin i.e. artist, art style, time line of the artist and full painting title. For a more informed decision on each image, we've also included the largest suggested print size for each image.

If you're not in the market for buying our high-resolution, Catholic images, we hope that you can at least find our information as a valuable resource for whatever project you may be working on.

The next project, which we are only half-way done with right now, is adding larger images. In order for you to view larger images, we've incorporated a non-invasive watermark on each image: 'RestoredTraditions.com,' which will not appear on the purchased JPEG image file. Visit this Madonna & Child image for a better idea.

We hope you continue to have a blessed and penitential Advent, along with a holy Christmas!

Best 25 Catholic Paintings of All Time

2009-09-23T15:36:00.000-05:00

Immaculate Heart of Mary by American artist Charles Bosseron CB Chambers.

These 25 Images of Catholic Paintings are available as high-resolution digital downloads. These Catholic-art pictures of Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and other inspirational scenes have been voted the best images over again for the past three years by you, our customers. We hope that these religious-art paintings will inspire and kindle devotion in your prayer life for years to come.

What to do with Digital Art

2009-08-25T11:10:00.000-05:00

What am I supposed to do with digital artwork?

Print it yourself:

Let's not kid ourselves, more and more of us are getting home printers that can pump out some amazing quality images. Granted, quality printers are relatively cheap because most manufacturers get you on the cost of ink. However, if you are trying to save a buck, it's still going to be cheaper for you overall if you print off your own photo quality image at 5x7 or 8x10. Even if you choose to use a more expensive paper, when you combine your ink and paper cost, it's still cheaper to go this route than to buy an art-print from a retailer. When you buy prints from a retailer, the main advantages are that you can get a bigger print than what your printer can do, perhaps better quality papers and inks, and maybe even a quality image that you don't have (of course, there's the convenience of not having to go through the work of printing yourself).

When you print yourself, it can often take a lot of trial and error to configure your computer, printer, and paper choice for optimal quality. However, once you get this potentially costly configuration down pat, it's the most cost effective way to go, assuming you don't want anything too fancy.

Problems you may run into printing yourself are lines appearing on the image, random dots, ink bleeding, and color tonality issues. In many cases, you need to go to your printer software and perform the regular cleaning/ maintenance/ alignment cycles that printers need sometimes to function properly.

Have someone else print it:

This may be the way to go if you want something bigger than what your printer can handle, if you don't want to fuss with printing configurations, or if you want something printed on a variety of papers. If you save the digital file to a flash drive or CD/ DVD, you can take it to about any print shop to get your image customized. Furthermore, if you want multiples of a print (say, for distribution), this is probably going to be more cost effective than trying to do it yourself. Then again, if you appreciate more the satisfaction of having done something from beginning to end totally by yourself, then print yourself.