''The Baptism of Christ'' or the ''Jan des Trompes Triptych'' is an altarpiece painted between 1502 and 1508 by the Flemish painter

Gerard David Gerard David (c. 1460 – 13 August 1523) was an Early Netherlandish painter and manuscript illuminator known for his brilliant use of color. Only a bare outline of his life survives, although some facts are known. He may have been the Meester ...

. It is now in the

Groeningemuseum The Groeningemuseum is a municipal museum in Bruges, Belgium, built on the site of the medieval Eekhout Abbey. It houses a collection of Flemish and Belgian painting covering six centuries, from Jan van Eyck to Marcel Broodthaers. The museum ...

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the country by population. The area of the whole city a ...

, Belgium.

Description

Its central panel is 127.9 cm high by 96.6 cm wide and shows Christ's baptism in the Jordan, with an angel holding Christ's clothing and God the Father and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove above Christ. In the background is a landscape with scenes from the life of

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

, whilst the foreground is filled with plants and flowers. The side panels are 132 cm high by 43.1 and 43.2 cm wide, and contain donor portraits. They show the donors and their children – on the left panel is Jan de Trompes, treasurer of Bruges, being presented by

John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( grc-gre, Ἰωάννης, Iōánnēs; Aramaic: ܝܘܚܢܢ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ; ar, يوحنا الإنجيلي, la, Ioannes, he, יוחנן cop, ⲓⲱⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ or ⲓⲱ̅ⲁ) is the name traditionally given ...

, his name saint, whilst his second wife Elisabeth van der Meersch is shown being presented by her name saint,

Elisabeth of Hungary Elizabeth of Hungary (german: Heilige Elisabeth von Thüringen, hu, Árpád-házi Szent Erzsébet, sk, Svätá Alžbeta Uhorská; 7 July 1207 – 17 November 1231), also known as Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, or Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia, ...

. The landscape flows across all three panels.

Bibliography

* Patrick de Rynck, ''Cómo leer la pintura'', « Gerard David, Triptyque avec "le bautismo de Christ" », Groupe Éditorial Random House Mondadori, S.L., 2005, pp. 110–111 * Walter, Ingo F. (ed.), ''Los maestros de la pintura occidental'', «Gerard David, "Le bautismo de Christ" », Tome I, Taschen, 2005, p. 199, {{DEFAULTSORT:Baptism of Christ, The 1508 paintings Angels in art Birds in art Cultural depictions of the Holy Spirit God in art Paintings by Gerard David Paintings depicting John the Apostle Paintings depicting John the Baptist Paintings of Elizabeth (biblical figure) Paintings of the Baptism of Christ Triptychs