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2015-07-29 16:11:36
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http://genius.com/99466
As Killah Priest says, the Renaissance depiction of Christ as a handsome, thin-faced white man with a thin beard is based off of the likeness of Cesare Borgia (Chez-sar-eh Borja) the second son of Rodrigo Borgia, or Pope Alexander VI.
Cesare Borgia was born in 1475, and became a Cardinal in the Catholic Church at age 18. Realizing there was no power in a cardinalship, he resigned. His older brother Giovanni was mysteriously murdered in 1497, and Cesare assumed his role as Captain General of the Military Forces of the Papacy. He quickly launched a military campaign to conquer all of Italy.
During his brutal reign as Captain General, he influenced depictions of Jesus to resemble his likeness.
Interestingly enough, universal genius,Leonardo Da Vinci was the one assigned to paint the Christ on the model of Cesare Borgia.