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Baptism of Christ

Maker

(artist)
1610-1662

Title

Baptism of Christ

Medium

graphite, pen and brown ink, brown wash on laid paper

Dimensions

Height: 20.9 cm
Width: 31.7 cm

Accession Number

D.1952.RW.3478

Mode of Acquisition

Robert Clermont Witt, bequest, 1952

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords

Label Text

In the sacrament of baptism, water is used to symbolise death by drowning and rebirth. In Romanelli's drawing, the falling water is echoed in the image of the dove (symbolising the holy spirit); this emphasises Saint John's claim that the baptism of water which he performed would be supplanted by the baptism by fire, and the coming of the Holy Spirit, which will be brought by the Messiah.

Provenance

property of an anonymous gentleman, whose ancestor formed the collection in the eighteenth century; his sale, Sotheby's (London), 2 February 1944, lot 72 (with four others); purchased there by Colnaghi (London) on behalf of Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), for £14; Witt Bequest 1952

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: none.

Inscription: Recto: lower right edge, graphite: “Francesco Romanelli”.

Collector's mark: none.

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