The Baptism of Christ
1450s · Egg tempera on poplar · National Gallery, London
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About this work
- Artist
- Piero della Francesca (c. 1415–1492)
- Year
- 1450s
- Medium
- Egg tempera on poplar
- Original size
- 168 × 116 cm
- Collection
- National Gallery, London
- Movement
- Renaissance
Christ stands in a shallow stream with his hands joined in prayer as John the Baptist pours water over his head and the dove of the Holy Spirit hovers above, its wings shaped like the small clouds in the sky. To the left, beside a tall walnut tree with pale bark, three angels watch; behind John a man pulls his shirt over his head, ready to be baptised, and the river reflects figures and sky as it winds back towards a small hill town, perhaps Sansepolcro. Piero painted the panel in egg tempera for the Camaldolese abbey in Sansepolcro, his birthplace, now its cathedral, and it formed the centre of an altarpiece completed later with side panels of Saint Peter and Saint Paul and a predella by Matteo di Giovanni, now in the town's museum. Its date is debated, from about 1439 to around 1460; the National Gallery places it in the 1450s. Its clear daylight shows the influence of his teacher Domenico Veneziano. The abbey was suppressed in the 1860s, and the National Gallery, London, bought the panel in 1861.
This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
Christ in a clear stream beneath a pale tree and a dove under a soft blue sky, cool green and white touched with pink, for a living room, landing or study at 24×36 in natural wood. A white, pale blue or sage wall; it pairs with The Creation of Adam.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Exhibition poster of a Renaissance painting
- Era
- 15th century (1450s)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Palette
- cream & beige
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- living room, hallway or entryway, study or library, dining room, dorm room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is The Baptism of Christ in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was The Baptism of Christ painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
