What did Jesus really look like?

Question 1

What is the common depiction of Jesus in Western art?

Answer 1

Long hair, a beard, a long robe with long sleeves (often white), and a mantle (often blue).

Question 2

From which period do the traditional depictions of Jesus originate?

Answer 2

The Byzantine era, starting in the 4th century.

Question 3

What inspired Byzantine artists in their depictions of Jesus?

Answer 3

The image of enthroned emperors and the god Zeus.

Question 4

What does the halo in Byzantine art signify?

Answer 4

Jesus’s heavenly nature, adapted from the sun god Apollo (Sol Invictus).