The Baptism of Christ

1720s

Alessandro Magnasco

Associated Names
Alessandro Magnasco

Artist, Italian, 1667 - 1749

This is a drawing depicting two figures engaged in a ceremonious act. The image shows two figures - the one on the right holds a staff and gestures toward the figure on the left who is kneeling on a rock, clasping their hands. Above them is a faint outline of clouds and a figure resembling a bird or angel. The drawing is in a monochromatic color scheme with brown ink on light beige paper, giving it an aged and traditional look. The style features confident lines with minimal shading, focusing on the outline and posture of the figures. In the background, there is a simple suggestion of a landscape with sparse and flowing lines representing land or water.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    brown wash over black chalk, heightened with white gouache, on buff laid paper

  • Credit Line

    New Century Fund

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 30.6 × 22.2 cm (12 1/16 × 8 3/4 in.)
    mount: 32.9 × 22.9 cm (12 15/16 × 9 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2018.165.3

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Santo Varni [1807 - 1885], Genoa (Lugt 3531), no. 17. Private collection, Genoa; Art market, Milan; (Stanza del Borgo, Milan, by 2013); purchased 2018 by NGA.

Associated Names

Bibliography

2013

  • Bareggi, Silvana. Incisioni e Disegni di Maestri antichi e moderni dal XVI al XX secolo. Old Master and Modern Prints and Drawings from the XVIth to the XXth Century. Stanza del Borgo, Milan, 2013: 104-105, no. 9 (color).

2019

  • Bober, Jonathan. "Genoese Baroque Drawings." National Gallery of Art Bulletin, No. 60(Spring, 2019): 29.

Inscriptions

by later hand, upper left in brown ink: H.11.I; by later hand in brown ink, lower left on mount: Magnaschino; by another hand to the right in light brown ink, No 17 Collezione Santo Varni.; by later hand, upper center verso in graphite: [undeciphered] / G. 58 / 49 (circled); in red pencil: L 10 (crossed out)

You may be interested in

Loading Results