Artwork
The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, and the Baptism of Christ
The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, and the Baptism of Christ is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Francis Cleyn. It dates from 1620 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Created by Francis Cleyn in 1620, the painting synthesizes these events to underscore core Christian theological themes of incarnation and purification.
The artwork presents two distinct biblical narratives within a single religious composition. The primary subject is the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, depicting the infant Christ within the setting of the Second Temple. The secondary scene illustrates the Baptism of Jesus, featuring John the Baptist as a central figure alongside the titular subject.
Created by Francis Cleyn in 1620, the painting synthesizes these events to underscore core Christian theological themes of incarnation and purification. The work serves as a visual representation of these pivotal moments in the life of Jesus Christ, combining the ceremonial offering of the child with his subsequent initiation into public ministry.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1620, this large-scale work by Francis Cleyn is an oil painting on canvas. The piece measures 182 cm in height and 307.5 cm in width, indicating a substantial horizontal format designed to accommodate two distinct biblical narratives within a single composition: the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple and the Baptism of Jesus. As a religious genre piece, the application of oil paint on a woven support reflects standard early seventeenth-century practices for monumental devotional imagery.
The surviving physical evidence confirms the use of traditional materials, though specific details regarding surface condition, varnish layers, or underdrawing techniques are not documented in the available records.
History & Provenance
Francis Cleyn painted The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, and the Baptism of Christ in 1620 as an oil on canvas work, originally created for religious purposes. The painting is presently housed in the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains part of the museum’s collection. Its dimensions measure 182 cm in height by 307.5 cm in width.
The work is classified as a religious painting depicting the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple and the Baptism of Jesus.
The work is held by the Statens Museum for Kunst. Its inventory number is not provided in the sources. It has been exhibited in the museum’s collection displays, as indicated by its presence in the museum’s collection records and genre classification as religious art.
The painting, titled The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, and the Baptism of Christ, was created in 1620 by Francis Cleyn. It is an oil on canvas measuring 182 cm in height and 307.5 cm in width. The work depicts the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple and the Baptism of Jesus, and is categorized under religious art.
Overview
Created in 1620 by the German‑born artist Francis Cleyn, this oil painting combines two biblical episodes, the presentation of the infant Jesus in the Second Temple and the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist. Executed in the early Baroque style that was then spreading from Italy, the work is part of the collection of Denmark’s Statens Museum for Kunst.
Artist & collection
Artist
Francis Cleyn (or Francesco Cleyn or Clein; also Frantz or Franz Klein; c. 1582 – 1658) was a German-born painter and tapestry designer who lived and worked in England.
