Melchizedek in alabaster, carved in almost the round. Standi - Lot 120

Melchizedek in alabaster, carved in almost the round. Standing and wearing a miter, he is dressed in a camail, a dalmatic with fringed edges tied at the waist and a long robe reaching down to his feet. The high priest carries three loaves of bread in his left hand and holds a ewer in the other. Hainaut, mid-16th century H. 45.7 cm (small accidents, missing parts, restorations) At the meeting of Abraham and Melchisedech, the high priest of Salem exchanges bread and wine with the patriarch. Most theologians agree that this is a foreshadowing of the Eucharist, as shown by the alabaster bas-relief of Melchisedech for the altar of the Blessed Sacrament in Saint-Etienne-du-Mont, now in the Musée du Louvre (inv. RF4039).