# Baptism of Christ

- By: Jacopo Tintoretto (Italian, 1518–1594)
- Date: 1580s
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Classification: Painting
- Dimensions: Framed: 200 x 286.5 x 14 cm (78 3/4 x 112 13/16 x 5 1/2 in.); Unframed: 169 x 251.4 cm (66 9/16 x 99 in.)
- Culture: Italy
- Credit line: Gift of the Hanna Fund
- Museum: [Cleveland Museum of Art](https://clevelandart.org/art/1950.400)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1950.400/1950.400_web.jpg
- Who can see it: Tweens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Based on a passage from the New Testament book of Matthew, this work depicts Saint John the Baptist performing Christ's baptism in the river Jordan, during which the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove. The powerful modeling of the bodies and luminous color characterize High Renaissance painting in Venice. Because of Tintoretto's pioneering use of rich color, his work was a crucial source for many later artists.