The representation in ivory of Christ the Good Shepherd is an iconography that is unique to Goa. It is also the most commonly surviving type of Goan ivory. The Christ Child is seated in a pensive pose with his legs crossed at his ankles. His eyes are shut, and the extended index and middle fingers of his right hand support his head. This contemplative posture was likely inspired by similarly posed images of Bodhisattvas and Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future. He wears a wool tunic, sandals, a haversack over his shoulders, and a drinking gourd on his belt. An adoring lamb sits on his thigh.
The mountainous pedestal upon which the Good Shepherd sits is a complex mythological tableau of hillsides, grottos, foliage, animals, and birds. Some reprThe studentesentations also feature hermits, saints, and gargoyles. Few are exactly alike, and their inherent variations have long hindered accurate academic interpretations. The most common figure portrayed on the bases of Good Shepherd ivories is a recumbent female reading a book. In European imagery a book in this context is typically the symbol of St. Mary Magdalene, who is also shown reclining in a grotto while she does penance for her sins. In Goan ivories, however, this figure with a book is usually identified as St. Catherine of Alexandria (c. 287-305), who was the patron saint of Portuguese Goa and a renowned scholar of theology. A now-missing Tree of Life (Book of Revelation, chapter 22) once formed a celestial canopy over the image.
