The Baptism of Christ
A young, bearded man wearing only a white loincloth stands facing us in a pale blue river with a man to one side and a winged angel to the other in this vertical painting. They all have pale or tanned skin and tawny-brown hair. The man at the center, Jesus, stands knee-deep in the placid water with his hands together in prayer. He looks off to our left, his hollow eyes set above a drooping mouth. To our left, a man kneels on the rocky riverbank and trickles water from his hand onto Jesus’s head. That man wears a fawn-brown robe under a raspberry-red cloak. He is bearded with curly brown hair, and he has dark circles under his eyes and a downturned mouth. The winged angel stands to our right on a flat stone, closer to us. Gold and pink wings rise vertically along the right edge of the composition. The angel wears voluminous white robes and holds a marine-blue garment in both hands. A white dove hovering over Jesus’s head is surrounded by a halo edged with teal, pea-green, and pink rings. A bearded man wearing a tiered, jeweled crown looks down from a round opening in the ice-blue sky above the dove. He holds one hand up in blessing and holds an orb topped by a cross in the other. About ten fish nibble at the rocks near Jesus’s feet in the river, which winds through a pale green field to a town of turrets and towers in the distance.
Colors in this work
Details
- Artist
- Juan de Flandes
- Date
- c. 1508/1519
- Medium
- oil on panel
- Dimensions
- painted surface: 124.2 x 79 cm (48 7/8 x 31 1/8 in.) overall (panel): 125.3 x 81.1 cm (49 5/16 x 31 15/16 in.) framed: 143.2 x 99.1 x 10.8 cm (56 3/8 x 39 x 4 1/4 in.)
- Department
- CNE-R
- Holding institution
- National Gallery of Art
- Palette
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- Image provider
- national-gallery-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Samuel H. Kress Collection
Art Genome Taxonomy
9 tags
Subject Matter
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Bible Story Both · 99%
The title identifies the depicted New Testament event, and the image visibly shows John the Baptist baptizing Christ in a river.
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Deities and Holy Figures Both · 99%
Christ, John the Baptist, an angel, God the Father, and the dove identified with the Holy Spirit are represented in this Christian sacred scene.
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Water Both · 98%
Pale blue water occupies the lower portion of the composition, with Christ standing in the river; the catalog description also identifies the setting as a river.
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Landscapes and Waterscapes Both · 92%
The river, rocky banks, green terrain, and distant town form a clearly depicted landscape and waterscape surrounding the religious figures.
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Nude Visual · 98%
Christ is shown nearly nude, wearing only a white loincloth while standing in the water.
Medium and Techniques
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Oil on Panel Metadata · 99%
The catalog identifies the medium as oil on panel.
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Oil Painting Metadata · 99%
The catalog classifies the work as a painting made in oil.
Time Periods
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16th Century Art Metadata · 99%
The National Gallery of Art dates the work c. 1508/1519, within the sixteenth century.
Cultural and Religious Styles
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Christian Art and Architecture Both · 99%
The title and imagery identify a Christian subject, including Christ’s baptism, the dove, the blessing figure, and the cross-topped orb.
Source & rights
Juan de Flandes. The Baptism of Christ. Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington.
High-resolution sources
- IIIF image service ↗ 22,103 × 34,701 · National Gallery Of Art · Available