Misplaced Pages

Baptism of Christ
Artist	Pietro Perugino and his workshop
Year	c. 1482
Type	Fresco
Dimensions	335 cm × 540 cm (132 in × 210 in)
Location	Sistine Chapel, Rome

The Baptism of Christ is a fresco by the Italian Renaissance painter Pietro Perugino and his workshop, executed around 1482 and located in the Sistine Chapel, Rome.

History

The commission of the work originated in 1480, when Perugino was decorating a chapel in the Old St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Pope Sixtus IV was pleased by his work, and decided to commission him also the decoration of the new Chapel he had built in the Vatican Palace. Due to the size of the work, Perugino was later joined by a group of painters from Florence, including Botticelli, Ghirlandaio and others.

Perugino's assistants in the Sistine Chapel included Pinturicchio, Andrea d'Assisi, Rocco Zoppo or, less likely, Lo Spagna or Bartolomeo della Gatta, but the attribution of details to them is disputed.

Description

The fresco of the Baptism of Christ is the first on the wall on the right of the altar, and parallels Moses Leaving to Egypt and the Circumcision of Elezier facing it on the opposite wall, also by Perugino's workshop. The baptism was in fact considered by Augustine and other early Christian writers as a kind of "spiritual circumcision".

The scene follows a symmetrical pattern, typical of Perugino. In the center is the Jordan River flowing towards the observer and reaching the feet of Jesus and John, who is baptizing the former. A dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit, descends from the sky; it is sent by God, represented within a luminous cloud and flanked by flying seraphim and cherubim. The landscape includes a symbolic view of Rome, recognizable by a triumphal arch, the Colosseum and the Pantheon. The thin trees are typical of the Umbrian school and of Perugino in particular.

At the sides are two secondary episodes: the Baptist (left) and Jesus (right) preaching at the crowd. The central scene also features two kneeling angels who are keeping a towel: these are elements inspired by Flemish paintings, and can be seen in works by Hugo van der Goes and in the Portinari Triptych. At the sides, in the foreground, are portraits of contemporary characters, normally rare in Perugino, but in this case spurred by their presence in the works by Ghirlandaio, who was also working in the Sistine Chapel.

The fresco is surmounted by a frieze with the signature OPVS PETRI PERVSINI · CASTRO PLEBIS.

Sources

• Garibaldi, Vittoria (2004). "Perugino". Pittori del Rinascimento. Florence: Scala.

External links

v t e Art of the Sistine Chapel
Life of Moses	Moses Leaving for Egypt The Youth of Moses The Crossing of the Red Sea The Descent from Mount Sinai The Punishment of the Sons of Korah Testament and Death of Moses
Life of Christ	The Baptism of Christ The Temptations of Christ The Vocation of the Apostles The Sermon on the Mount The Delivery of the Keys The Last Supper
Ceiling (Gallery)	Scenes from Genesis The Separation of Light from Darkness The Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Plants The Separation of Land and Water The Creation of Adam The Creation of Eve The Fall and Expulsion from the Garden of Eden The Sacrifice of Noah The Flood The Drunkenness of Noah Prophets Jonah Jeremiah Ezekiel Joel Zechariah Isaiah Daniel Sibyls Persian Sibyl Erythraean Sibyl Delphic Sibyl Cumaean Sibyl Libyan Sibyl
Altar wall	The Last Judgment
Tapestries	Raphael Cartoons
Related	Art patronage of Julius II Restoration of the Sistine Chapel frescoes Sistine Chapel Choir Room of Tears Vatican City The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965 film)
Key: Pietro Perugino Sandro Botticelli Cosimo Rosselli Domenico Ghirlandaio Biagio d'Antonio Piero di Cosimo Luca Signorelli Bartolomeo della Gatta Michelangelo Raphael Pope Sixtus IV Vatican City portal Catholicism portal

• 1480s paintings
• Paintings by Pietro Perugino
• Sistine Chapel wall frescoes
• Paintings of the Baptism of Christ
• Angels in art
• God the Father in art