3-002-668 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Baptism of Christ, c1400. Panels from a series depicting the Annunciation, Baptism of Christ and Crucifixion from the Antwerp-Baltimore Quadriptych. This extremely important masterpiece is one of the earliest paintings of the Netherlandish school. The overall theme of the six scenes - Annunciation, Nativity, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Baptism, Saint Christopher - is the divinity of Christ and the certainty of salvation. It is one of the earliest works where we find evidence of oil paint, a medium that, through its translucency, helps to bring out the richness and vibrancy of details from nature, such as the fish swimming in the Jordan River.