Baptism of Christ

Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano's Baptism of Christ, painted in 1492 for the church of San Giovanni in Bragora, Venice, is one of his finest altarpieces. The work depicts Christ's baptism by John in the River Jordan, set against the distinctive Venetian terraferma landscape. The church of San Giovanni in Bragora was where Antonio Vivaldi was later baptized, and Cima's altarpiece remains in situ, a rare survival of Renaissance Venetian church decoration.

Cima's serene composition features his signature crystalline light illuminating the landscape, with smooth oil technique, careful atmospheric perspective, and the soft blue-green mountains of the Veneto creating a luminous backdrop.