Later depictions

    The Lamb of God  image became less popular as time went by. Later artists were anxious to show the suffering of Christ, rather than a symbolic representation of him. The idea was not forgotten, however. 



Prado, Madrid
 
This painting by Zurbaran is known as The Agnus Dei, Lamb of God. It is a familiar image, which once graced a CD cover of the St Matthew Passion. All highly appropriate - or is it? Being tied up, it is hardly the willing sacrifice that Christ is meant to be. Strange. In a second version in San Diego (below) the lamb is given a halo - it is still tied, but not so obviously.
  

  Still there?
 So has the Agnus Dei been abandoned by contemporary artists? Not quite. The symbolic version is still to be seen, especially in stained glass windows. This 2005 version by Meg Lawrence comes from St Mary's Church, Upwaltham, West Sussex.


Reproduced by kind permission of Meg Lawrence
  Still there . . . in an unexpected place.

 A church has always been at the centre of any English community - and so has its pub. Obscure pub names can be as fascinating as odd church dedications, and one of the oddest is - the Lamb and Flag. No better place to end a journey.



Lamb and Flag, Rose Street, Covent Garden, London


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