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The Baptism of Christ
Paris Bordone·c. 1535/1540
Historical Context
Paris Bordone's Baptism of Christ from around 1535-40 places the sacred event in a landscape of extraordinary chromatic richness, the Venetian tradition of colorism fully deployed in warm golds, deep blues, and the shimmering atmosphere of the Jordan River valley. Bordone was among the most gifted of Titian's followers, his work sharing the master's sensuous color and compositional grandeur while developing a slightly more formal, architectural quality. He was successful in Venice and worked for important foreign patrons including the French court, and his large devotional canvases combined the scale and gravity of public altarpieces with the coloristic warmth of Venetian cabinet painting. The Baptism shows Christ in the central moment of his entry into public ministry, the dove of the Holy Spirit descending as John pours water over his head.
Technical Analysis
The oil on canvas displays Bordone's characteristic warm Venetian palette with rich blues and golden flesh tones. The dramatic diagonal composition and luminous atmospheric effects show his mastery of the Venetian coloristic tradition.
Provenance
Ambrogio Doria, Rome. William Earle, Liverpool; (his sale, Winstanley, Liverpool, 17 April 1839, no. 112). Charles Meigh, Grove House, Shelton, Stafford, England, by 1845; (his sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 9 June 1855, no. 69); purchased by Bates. John Heugh, London, by 1877; (his sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 11 May 1878, no. 274); purchased by (Thomas Agnew & Sons, London); by whom sold to H. Higgins; presumably by inheritance to Mrs. Higgins, Thing Hill, Hereford, England; (Higgins sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 22 April 1899, no. 137); purchased by (Colnaghi, London and New York). (Eugène Fischhof); sold 1899 to Peter A. B. Widener, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania; inheritance from the Estate of Peter A. B. Widener by gift through power of appointment of Joseph E. Widener, Elkins Park; gift 1942 to NGA.[1] [1] Provenance according to Widener records in NGA curatorial files.
