Gian Maria Morlaiter
The Baptism of Christ

18th century
Relief
Church of Santa Maria del Rosario ("I Gesuati"), Venice, Italy

The old iconography has been radically classicized. John's garment is not a camel-skin but a flowing mantle that exposes his heroic torso. Christ's physique is similarly classical, as are the gestures. The River Jordan, already much diminished in Renaissance Baptism of Christ images, has been entirely replaced by a slate-like rock formation. The angel with the garment is melting into the background, and the Father is nowhere to be found.

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Photographed at the church by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.