A Christening in Revolutionary France (late 18th century): Art, History and Details

A Christening in Revolutionary France (late 18th century) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Jean-Baptiste Mallet (French, 1759–1835).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Mallet’s image depicts a Republican baptism ceremony during the French Revolution. The event takes place in a magnificent Gothic church, identifiable as such by its pointed arches and stained glass window. A mother presents her infant to the priest who raises his right hand as he administers the sacrament. Even the musicians pause from playing to watch this spectacle.

Object facts

• Title: A Christening in Revolutionary France
• Date: late 18th century
• Creator attribution: Jean-Baptiste Mallet (French, 1759–1835)
• Culture: France, 19th century
• Type: Drawing
• Technique: Pen and brown and gray inks and red chalk and watercolor, heightened with white; squaring for transfer
• Dimensions: Sheet: 33.3 x 44.6 cm (13 1/8 x 17 9/16 in.)
• Collection: DR - French
• Department: Drawings
• Accession number: 2017.213

Collection credit

Bequest of Muriel Butkin

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.