Confiteor Unum Baptisma
G.D.O'Bradovich III
in remissionem peccatorum
We will analyze Renaissance painting of the Baptism of Christ and we will look at the following details:
1.
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. |
Are angels present?
Are people present? How is the river Jordan represented? John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Is the staff of John the Baptist present? Is God the Father represented? Is a dove present? Is a city present? |
No
Yes No Yes Right Left Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No |
On land.
In the sky. In the background. As onlookers. River. Stream. |
depictions
The depictions of the Baptism of Christ are arranged chronologically.
Giotto, c1305.
1. Are angels present? Yes, 4, ground
2. Are people present? Yes, onlookers
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? No
6. Is God the Father represented? Yes
7. Is a dove present? No
8. Is a city present? No
NB-Jesus is waist deep in the Jordan.
1. Are angels present? Yes, 4, ground
2. Are people present? Yes, onlookers
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? No
6. Is God the Father represented? Yes
7. Is a dove present? No
8. Is a city present? No
NB-Jesus is waist deep in the Jordan.
Ghirlandaio, 1473
1. Are angels present? Yes, 4, ground
2. Are people present? No
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? No
6. Is God the Father represented? No
7. Is a dove present?Yes
8. Is a city present? Yes
1. Are angels present? Yes, 4, ground
2. Are people present? No
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? No
6. Is God the Father represented? No
7. Is a dove present?Yes
8. Is a city present? Yes
Verrocchio, c1475
1. Are angels present? Yes, 2, ground
2. Are people present? No
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? Yes
6. Is God the Father represented? No
7. Is a dove present? Yes
8. Is a city present? No
1. Are angels present? Yes, 2, ground
2. Are people present? No
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? Yes
6. Is God the Father represented? No
7. Is a dove present? Yes
8. Is a city present? No
Ghirlandaio,c1486-c1490
1. Are angels present? Yes, sky
2. Are people present? Yes, onlookers
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? No
6. Is God the Father represented? Yes
7. Is a dove present? No
8. Is a city present? Yes
1. Are angels present? Yes, sky
2. Are people present? Yes, onlookers
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? No
6. Is God the Father represented? Yes
7. Is a dove present? No
8. Is a city present? Yes
Perugino, c1482
1. Are angels present? Yes, Sky
2. Are people present? Onlookers and background
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? Yes
6. Is God the Father represented? Yes
7. Is a dove present? Yes
8. Is a city present? Yes
1. Are angels present? Yes, Sky
2. Are people present? Onlookers and background
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? Yes
6. Is God the Father represented? Yes
7. Is a dove present? Yes
8. Is a city present? Yes
Conegliano, c1493
1. Are angels present? Yes, 3, ground
2. Are people present? No
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? No
6. Is God the Father represented? No
7. Is a dove present? Yes
8. Is a city present? Yes
1. Are angels present? Yes, 3, ground
2. Are people present? No
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? No
6. Is God the Father represented? No
7. Is a dove present? Yes
8. Is a city present? Yes
Bellini, 1500-02.
1. Are angels present? Yes, sky
2. Are people present? Yes, onlookers
3. How is the river Jordan represented? River
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? No
6. Is God the Father represented? Yes
7. Is a dove present? Yes
8. Is a city present? Yes
NB-Jesus is not in the Jordan River.
1. Are angels present? Yes, sky
2. Are people present? Yes, onlookers
3. How is the river Jordan represented? River
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? No
6. Is God the Father represented? Yes
7. Is a dove present? Yes
8. Is a city present? Yes
NB-Jesus is not in the Jordan River.
David, c1505
1. Are angels present? No
2. Are people present? Yes, background
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? No
6. Is God the Father represented? Yes
7. Is a dove present? Yes
8. Is a city present? Yes
1. Are angels present? No
2. Are people present? Yes, background
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? No
6. Is God the Father represented? Yes
7. Is a dove present? Yes
8. Is a city present? Yes
Mantegna, 1506
1. Are angels present? No
2. Are people present? Yes, onlookers
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? No
6. Is God the Father represented? No
7. Is a dove present? Yes
8. Is a city present? Unknown
1. Are angels present? No
2. Are people present? Yes, onlookers
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? No
6. Is God the Father represented? No
7. Is a dove present? Yes
8. Is a city present? Unknown
Perugino, 1506-07
1. Are angels present? Yes, 4, ground
2. Are people present? No
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? Yes
6. Is God the Father represented? No
7. Is a dove present? No
8. Is a city present? No?
1. Are angels present? Yes, 4, ground
2. Are people present? No
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? Yes
6. Is God the Father represented? No
7. Is a dove present? No
8. Is a city present? No?
Perugino, 1507
1. Are angels present? Yes, 2, sky
2. Are people present? Yes, onlookers
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? Yes
6. Is God the Father represented? No
7. Is a dove present? Yes
8. Is a city present? No
1. Are angels present? Yes, 2, sky
2. Are people present? Yes, onlookers
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? Yes
6. Is God the Father represented? No
7. Is a dove present? Yes
8. Is a city present? No
Perugino, 1510
1. Are angels present? Yes, 2, ground
2. Are people present? No
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? Yes
6. Is God the Father represented? No
7. Is a dove present? Yes
8. Is a city present? Yes
1. Are angels present? Yes, 2, ground
2. Are people present? No
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? Yes
6. Is God the Father represented? No
7. Is a dove present? Yes
8. Is a city present? Yes
Carracci,1584
1. Are angels present? No
2. Are people present? Yes, onlookers, background
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? Yes
6. Is God the Father represented? No
7. Is a dove present? No
8. Is a city present? No
1. Are angels present? No
2. Are people present? Yes, onlookers, background
3. How is the river Jordan represented? Stream
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus? Right
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present? Yes
6. Is God the Father represented? No
7. Is a dove present? No
8. Is a city present? No
table
The following is a summation of the above:
Artist
Giotto, c1305 Ghirlandai 1473 Verrocchio, c1475 Ghirlandaio c1490 Perugino, c1482 Conegliano c1493 Bellini, 1500-02. David, c1505 Mantegna, 1506 Perugino, 1506-07 Perugino, 1507 Perugino, 1510 Carracci, 1584 |
1. Angels? 2.People?
Yes (Y) Yes (Y) Sky (S) Onlookers (O) Ground (G) Background (B) No (N) Y,4,G Y,O Y,4,G N Y,2,G N Y, S Y,O Y, S Y, O,B Y,3,G N Y, S Y,O N Y,B N Y,O Y,4,G N Y,2,S Y,O Y,2,G N N Y, O,B |
3. Jordan? 4. Hand?
Stream (S) Right(R) River (R) Left (L) S R S R S R S R S R S R R R S R S R S R S R S R S R |
Artist
Giotto, c1305 Ghirlandai 1473 Verrocchio, c1475 Ghirlandaio c1490 Perugino, c1482 Conegliano c1493 Bellini, 1500-02. David, c1505 Mantegna, 1506 Perugino, 1506-07 Perugino, 1507 Perugino, 1510 Carracci, 1584 |
5. Staff? 6. God?
Yes (Y) Yes (Y) No (N) No (N) N Y N N Y N N Y Y Y N N N Y N Y N N Y N Y N Y N Y N |
7. Dove? 8.City?
Yes (Y) Yes (Y) No (N) No (N) N N Y Y Y N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y ? N N Y N Y Y N N |
Summation of the Table:
1. Are angels present?
Angles are shown in ten of the paintings and no angels are present in three the paintings. Four angels are shown in three of the paintings, three angels are shown in one (Conegliano) and two angles are shown in three paintings.
2. Are people present?
Five paintings do not depict any people. Five paintings show onlookers, one painting shows background people and three show both observers and background people.
3. How is the river Jordan represented?
Only Bellin's 1502 painting depicts the Jordan River as a river.
4. John uses which hand to baptism Jesus?
All thirteen of our examples agree and have Jesus being baptized with John's right hand.
5. Is the staff of John the Baptist present?
Six paintings show John's staff while seven paintings do not show the staff.
6. Is God the Father represented?
God the Father is not shown in eight of the paintings.
7. Is a dove present?
The Dove is shown in nine of the paintings.
8. Is a city present?
A city is depicted in seven of the paintings and one painting is uncertain.
discussion
As in previous sections (the Crucifixion, the Resurrection), we do not reference Orthodox icons because (1) the artists are anonymous, (2) the icons are undated and (3) there is no evolution in the style of painting; therefore, Orthodox icons are impossible to date.
Giotto (allegedly 1266-1337) depicts Christ as being waist deep during his baptism. David's 1505 painting shows Christ as being knee deep, while the remaining artists in our sample either show Jesus as ankle deep or not in water. The impression is that sprinkling water on the forehead is baptism and this likely represents the Western Church's teaching on the subject of baptism, i.e., total immersion is not necessarily for a valid baptism. Carracci's 1584 painting is dated after the Council of Trent, so there is nothing amiss in his depiction. Unfortunately, the same can not be said for the other twelve paintings which are allegedly dated before the Council of Trent (1545-63).
"And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water..." Matthew 3:13
"Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan, and straightway coming up out of the water.." Mark 1:9
From these two passages, we conclude that none of the Renaissance painters knew the Scriptures.
Angels are shown in ten of our examples. If individuals are on the ground and without wings, we presume that these individuals are people, not angels. In six examples, angels are shown on the ground.
"And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river..." Mark 1:5
A "great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him." Mark 3: 8
In five examples, there are no onlookers. We can not conclude if the painters knew of the Gospel of Mark, or if this is an example of artistic license.
Only, Bellini (1502) shows a river. We conclude that the artists did not know Jesus was baptized in a river. The only reference to a "river of Jordan" is found in Mark 1:5. If our artists were unaware of the Gospel account, we can excuse them for not knowing how Jesus was baptized.
All depictions show John using his right hand to baptize Jesus. We do not know if this is historically accurate, since most people are right handed and in the Western world, the left hand is associated with sinister motives.
John uses a staff in six examples. Perugino is consistent in showing a staff (four out of four). By removing Perugino from our list, two out of nine depict a staff. See John the Baptist for our reasoning and conclusion that John is depicted with a staff so he can not be confused with Jesus.
God the Father is shown in five examples. All of these depictions are before 1505. Perugino shows the God the Father in 1482, but not in in his two paintings from 1507 or his one painting from 1510.
The dove is shown in nine examples. God the Father and the dove are shown together in three examples (Perugino, 1482; Bellini, 1502; David, 1505).
Cities are shown in seven examples with one, (Mantegna, 1506) that is uncertain. By showing cities in the background or by not showing any indication of civilization, our artists show that the baptism of Jesus occurred in the wilderness.
"And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water..." Matthew 3:13
"Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan, and straightway coming up out of the water.." Mark 1:9
From these two passages, we conclude that none of the Renaissance painters knew the Scriptures.
Angels are shown in ten of our examples. If individuals are on the ground and without wings, we presume that these individuals are people, not angels. In six examples, angels are shown on the ground.
"And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river..." Mark 1:5
A "great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him." Mark 3: 8
In five examples, there are no onlookers. We can not conclude if the painters knew of the Gospel of Mark, or if this is an example of artistic license.
Only, Bellini (1502) shows a river. We conclude that the artists did not know Jesus was baptized in a river. The only reference to a "river of Jordan" is found in Mark 1:5. If our artists were unaware of the Gospel account, we can excuse them for not knowing how Jesus was baptized.
All depictions show John using his right hand to baptize Jesus. We do not know if this is historically accurate, since most people are right handed and in the Western world, the left hand is associated with sinister motives.
John uses a staff in six examples. Perugino is consistent in showing a staff (four out of four). By removing Perugino from our list, two out of nine depict a staff. See John the Baptist for our reasoning and conclusion that John is depicted with a staff so he can not be confused with Jesus.
God the Father is shown in five examples. All of these depictions are before 1505. Perugino shows the God the Father in 1482, but not in in his two paintings from 1507 or his one painting from 1510.
The dove is shown in nine examples. God the Father and the dove are shown together in three examples (Perugino, 1482; Bellini, 1502; David, 1505).
Cities are shown in seven examples with one, (Mantegna, 1506) that is uncertain. By showing cities in the background or by not showing any indication of civilization, our artists show that the baptism of Jesus occurred in the wilderness.
conclusion
The there are only two consistencies in our examples: Jesus is baptized by John's right hand and the baptism occurred in the wilderness. We can not reach any other definitive conclusions. If we are disappointed that the Renaissance painters were not consistent in their depictions of the baptism of Jesus, then we are sorely disappointed that the western Church possessed Scripture for over 1,200 years and, yet, their artists remained ignorant of the Bible's contents concerning the River Jordan, the crowds of people coming to be baptized and the dove alighting upon Jesus.