The Baptism of Christ
1480/90
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate/sheet: 15.6 × 15.8 cm (6 3/16 × 6 1/4 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
3827
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This luminous engraving depicts Christ being baptized by his cousin Saint John the Baptist in the River Jordan. The scene is sparsely populated; the only witnesses are God the Father, visible in a cloud, and an angel holding dry clothes for Christ’s later use. John clasps an elegantly bound volume, anachronistically referring to baptism as a sacramental rite of the Christian faith. Here John touches Christ’s forehead with two fingers, rather than pouring water over his head from his cupped hands...
About the Artist
Martin Schongauer · 1435–1491
Martin Schongauer, born around 1450–1453 in Colmar, Alsace, emerged from a family of skilled artisans. The third of four or five sons of goldsmith Caspar Schongauer, who had relocated from Augsburg to Colmar around 1440, Martin was immersed in the goldsmith's trade from youth, likely receiving his initial training in his father's workshop—a common path for early engravers. He further honed his ski...