The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

The Baptism of Christ

The Baptism of Christ

1530s
(German, 1472–1553)
Framed: 24.4 x 29.2 x 5.1 cm (9 5/8 x 11 1/2 x 2 in.); Unframed: 15 x 20.5 cm (5 7/8 x 8 1/16 in.)

Description

Painted in minute detail, Cranach’s majestic scene includes elements characteristic of landscapes in 16th-century German art: verdant forest, hilltop city, and distant mountains. A close associate of Protestant reformer Martin Luther, Cranach adapted Christian imagery to reflect Luther’s belief that religious art must narrate scripture. The Gospels describe Christ’s baptism with the heavens opening, a dove descending, and a voice saying, “Here is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased,” which Cranach painted in Latin directly onto the clouds.
  • Charles E. Roseman, Jr., Cleveland, by gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1953.
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Catalogue of Paintings, Part 3: European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. Reproduced: p. 166; Mentioned: p. 165
    Cranach, Lucas, Lucas Cranach, and Michael Hofbauer. Corpus Cranach: Lucas Cranach I und Lucas Cranach II : Verzeichnis der Gemälde unter Berücksichtigung von Werkstattumfeld und Epigonen. Heidelberg, 2022. Reproduced: p. 159, CC-CMD-060-001
  • {{cite web|title=The Baptism of Christ|url=false|author=Lucas Cranach|year=1530s|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1953.143