Purchased from a dealer in France, it was one of two cherubim removed from the church after World War II. The other resides in the national museum in Amsterdam, Christensen said.

Other life-size religious figures include 18th century gilded statues of St. John and St. Peter from a cathedral in Italy, and a statue of the Old Testament prophets Melchizedek and Aaron, dressed in their priestly robes. Acquired from Mexico, that work was recently sold, Christensen said.

The size and quality of his collection often amazes first-time visitors who weren't directed to the shop by knowing friends or relatives, he said. They come with at least three questions: "Why is this kind of art available?" "Why do you buy it?" and "Why do you sell it in Salt Lake City?"

"I buy it because it's interesting, and I love it," he said. As to why it's available, he said World War II made it possible to purchase many of the pieces, because many churches were ruined by the bombing, and their treasures were then sold off.

Many wonder at the market for Christian artwork in a state dominated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which sees traditional Christianity as an apostate form of Christ's original church.

"Over the years, many people have wondered what a Mormon boy with Jewish extraction is doing with all these Christian artifacts." Though he sees buyers from across the country and many parts of the world, Christensen said there is definitely a local market for Christian art created before 1830, when LDS Church founder Joseph Smith formally organized the church.

All of his buyers appreciate the fact that much of European art had Christian themes, he said, and they're willing to pay for it.

"If we have it, you don't need it," Christensen said, noting that while there is a ready market for his collection, it doesn't suit everyone's taste. Or their pocketbook. It's all in what people value most, he said.

His focus is quality. While most of the religious art focuses on Christianity — a Russian Orthodox calendar featuring 985 individual saints, an Eastern Orthodox icon of Madonna along with large paintings and hand-carved cabinetwork featuring Bible scenes — he does have at least one piece of interest to Muslim collectors, he said.

A long painting of Guardaia shows a liberal sect of Muslims celebrating Ramadan in central Algeria in 1935. Placed high above patrons' heads, it looks over statues of St. John and St. Peter, along with an elaborately sculpted altar piece from a cathedral in Belgium, featuring two inset sculptures well known to New Testament readers: one of Jesus' birth and the other of Christ in the temple as a boy. Thousands saw that piece during the Christmas season, when Christensen loaned it to a longtime creche exhibit held annually in Midway.