''Baptism of Christ'' is a 1608–1614 painting by

El Greco Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos ( el, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco ("The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El G ...

, made towards the end of his life in

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Orur ...

and completed by his son Jorge Manuel Theotocópuli. It is now in the Hospital de Tavera in

Description

The work was produced almost entirely by Jorge Manuel Theotocópuli,

's son. Jesus appears kneeling while Saint John the Baptist at right pours water onto his head from a conch. In the upper,

God the Father God the Father is a title given to God in Christianity. In mainstream trinitarian Christianity, God the Father is regarded as the first person of the Trinity, followed by the second person, God the Son Jesus Christ, and the third person, God t ...

and the dove of the

Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...

are painted to unite the figures of the

Holy Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

. The strong lighting recalls the work of

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...

. This large canvas was delivered to the Tavera Hospital shortly before 1624, the date on which it was already included in the inventory of this institution. It is likely that it was designed to be placed in the main altarpiece, in the central niche of the lower floor, which has the appropriate measurements. However, the Tabernacle of the Tavera Hospital would have made it difficult to contemplate. It was then placed in the altarpiece on the right side. After a brief move, it was returned to the same altarpiece and a landscape was added at the bottom, in order to fill the space that was empty (circa 1670). There it remained until the Spanish Civil War. Later, all the paintings by El Greco in the Hospital were exhibited in the palace of the Duchess of Lerma (in the same Hospital). They then returned to their place, and this work is found once again in the altarpiece on the right side.

References

{{17C-painting-stub category:1614 paintings category:Paintings by El Greco