Description
Based on a passage from the New Testament book of Matthew, this work depicts Saint John the Baptist performing Christ's baptism in the river Jordan, during which the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove. The powerful modeling of the bodies and luminous color characterize High Renaissance painting in Venice. Because of Tintoretto's pioneering use of rich color, his work was a crucial source for many later artists.
Provenance
1738-1775 Count Schulenberg (Zell), sold, Christie's, London, April 12-13, 1775, to William Markham, Bishop of Chester;; by inheritance to his son, Colonel William T. Markham, by 1853 until at least 1869;; Captain R. A. Markham, until at least 1910;; E. G. Markham, London and Southcliff, Bembridge, Isle of Wight, until 1923;; [Durlacher Brothers, London, from 1923 until at least 1929];; Arthur Sachs, Paris and New York, by 1931;; [Jacques Seligman & Co., New York], sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1950.
Accession Number
1950.400
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
Framed: 200 x 286.5 x 14 cm (78 3/4 x 112 13/16 x 5 1/2 in.); Unframed: 169 x 251.4 cm (66 9/16 x 99 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Gift of the Hanna Fund
