The Baptism of Christ
The Baptism of Christ
The Baptism of Christ
By Jan van Scorel
Request
The Baptism of Christ
The Baptism of Christ
The Baptism of Christ
Christ being baptised by the ‘prophet’ John the Baptist in the Jordan. This was the first public act of the adult Christ, revealing his ‘divine nature’: the Holy Ghost appears in the form of a radiant dove. Christ is shown again, to the right, in the background, calling his first pupils. For this painting Van Scorel drew on elements from works by Raphael and other Italian Renaissance artists. He had travelled in Italy where he managed the Vatican art treasures under the Dutch Pope Adrian VI. Van Scorel was commissioned to paint this work by the Haarlem St John’s cloister.