When often asked who the model was for Christ. Hofmann would responded, "When I read about Christ in the Bible, there arises spontaneously before my fancy a picture of Him which I try to retain and to reproduce - that is my only prototype."

The original is in the Gemäldegalerie Neue Meister, Dresden, Germany. A studio copy of the painting was purchased by John D. Rockefeller, Jr and presently resides in the Riverside Church, 490 Riverside Drive at 120th Street, New York City.

The story from Luke 2:41-49

Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day's journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"