Artwork
The Baptism of Christ
The Baptism of Christ is a tempera painting by the Early Renaissance artist Pietro Perugino. It dates from 1502 and is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
About this work
Overview
The Baptism of Christ is a tempera on panel painting, later transferred to canvas, originally part of a predella—a series of narrative scenes forming the base of an altarpiece.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts Jesus standing in a shallow river, with John the Baptist pouring water over his head, and three angels on the bank holding robes. This scene represents a moment of revealed divinity, one of several in the predella series.
Technique & Style
Executed in tempera on panel, the work was later transferred to canvas. The composition features a serene landscape with a quiet river, distant hills, and soft light, contributing to a cohesive visual narrative across the predella panels.
History & Provenance
Originally part of a larger altarpiece with an unidentified main panel, this panel was once accompanied by four others, including The Resurrection (now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), and two others at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Context
As part of a predella, the painting was designed to narrate key moments of Jesus’s divinity at the base of an altarpiece, complementing a central, now-lost focal piece.
Legacy
While the main altarpiece panel remains unidentified, the predella panels, including The Baptism of Christ, remain significant for their narrative cohesion and depiction of pivotal moments in Christian theology.
Artist & collection
Artist
Pietro Perugino (US: PERR-ə-JEE-noh, -oo-; Italian: ; born Pietro Vannucci or Pietro Vanucci; c.
