Baptism of Christ (designed 1645–46, probably made 1650–55): Art, History and Details

Baptism of Christ (designed 1645–46, probably made 1650–55) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Alessandro Algardi (Italian, 1598–1654).

The work and its context

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

When Innocent X (Giovanni Battista Pamphili, ruled 1644–55) became pope, Alessandro Algardi endeavored to obtain his patronage. This bronze Baptism of Christ is a casting from the molds used for an original silver sculpture that Algardi presented to the new pope to gain his support in 1646. The composition depicts an important scene in the life of Christ. On the right is John the Baptist, who pours water onto Jesus's head from a shell. As Christ bows his head to be baptized, a little angel holds the edge of his cloak. Algardi worked carefully to make this piece exciting from a number of points of view. Its dramatic emphasis shifts, depending on the viewer's vantage point.

Object facts

• Title: Baptism of Christ
• Date: designed 1645–46, probably made 1650–55
• Creator attribution: Alessandro Algardi (Italian, 1598–1654)
• Culture: Italy
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: bronze
• Dimensions: Overall: 62.5 x 46.8 x 33.4 cm (24 5/8 x 18 7/16 x 13 1/8 in.)
• Collection: Sculpture
• Department: European Painting and Sculpture
• Accession number: 1965.471

A detail from the museum

Algardi's sculpture plays on its intended recipient's given name: Giovanni Battista (John the Baptist).

Collection credit

Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Corazzini, Giuseppe Odoardo. Memorie Storiche della Famiglia Fransoni. Firenze: Giuliani, 1873.
• Lee, Sherman E. "Goldlen Anniversary Acquisitions." The Bulletin of The Cleveland Museum of Art LIII, no. 9 (September, 1966):181-285.
• Burton, Richard. "Fifty Years of Cleveland: Some Golden Anniversary Acquisitions." The Connoisseur CLXIII (October 1966): 128-135.

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.