A Philadelphia Anabaptist Immersion during a Storm
1811–ca. 1813
Medium
Watercolor and pen and black ink on white wove paper
Dimensions
6 15/16 x 9 5/8 in. (17.6 x 24.4 cm)
Classification
Watercolor
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1942
Accession Number
42.95.20
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the early 19th century, diplomat and artist Pavel Petrovich Sin journeyed through the United States, capturing vivid scenes of American life in a series of watercolors.A Philadelphia Anabapt Immersion during a Storm (1811–ca. 1813) depicts a dramatic outdoor baptism by total immersion, a hallmark ritual of Anabaptist sects like Mennonites and Dunkers in Philadelphia. Rendered in watercolor and with black ink on white w paper (6 15/16 x 9 5/8 in.), the small-scale work measures just over 17 x 24 cm, inviting intimate viewing. The scene pulses with tension: figures wade into choppy waters am...
About the Artist
Pavel Petrovich Svinin · 1787–1839
Pavel Petrovich Svinin (1787–1839) was a Russian diplomat, writer, and amateur artist whose visual record of early American life constitutes one of the most vivid and historically valuable documentary accounts of the United States in the early nineteenth century. Born in Russia in 1787, Svinin received a broad education and pursued a career in the Russian foreign service, which brought him to the ...