Artwork
The Baptism of Christ
The Baptism of Christ is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Hans Rottenhammer. It is held in the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the Baptism of Christ, the New Testament event in which John the Baptist baptizes Jesus Christ in the River Jordan.
The painting depicts the Baptism of Christ, the New Testament event in which John the Baptist baptizes Jesus Christ in the River Jordan. According to the source documentation, the work explicitly portrays Jesus Christ and John the Baptist as its principal figures, with a tree also noted among the depicted elements, situating the scene within a natural landscape typical of the religious genre to which the work is assigned.
As a religious painting on copper by Hans Rottenhammer (with Hendrick de Clerck credited as a co-creator in the source), the image belongs to a long-established iconographic tradition of representing Christ's baptism. The subject functions both as a narrative of a specific Gospel episode and as a symbol of spiritual purification and the inauguration of Christ's public ministry, themes central to the religious art of the period.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil paint on a copper support, a medium that Rottenhammer frequently employed for small-scale devotional pieces. The copper ground provides a smooth, non-absorbent surface that allows for fine, precise brushwork and a luminous enamel-like quality. The paint is applied in thin layers, achieving subtle gradations of light and color typical of early Baroque religious painting. No information on the painting’s current condition or specific handling techniques is provided in the sources.
History & Provenance
The work was painted in 1650 by Hans Rottenhammer on copper as a religious panel depicting the Baptism of Christ.
By the late nineteenth century it had entered the holdings of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA), where it remains in the Flemish Art Collection.
The painting is held in the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, which is part of the Vlaamse Kunstcollectie. While the work is attributed to Hans Rottenhammer, some records also list Hendrick de Clerck as a co-creator. The piece, executed in oil on copper, dates to 1650 and measures 29.5 cm by 37.7 cm. The provided sources do not contain information regarding a specific inventory or accession number, nor do they list any past or current exhibitions for this artwork.
Overview
Hans Rottenhammer’s The Baptition of Christ is a small‑scale work executed on copper around 1650. The composition gathers a multitude of figures beside a riverbank, centered on a man in a red robe who gestures upward toward a radiant beam of light. Above the scene, numerous diminutive angels hover, emphasizing the sacred nature of the event.
Context
Rottenhammer, a German-born painter active in Italy and the Low Countries, blended Northern precision with Italianate composition. In the 1650s, copper panels were favored for portable, detailed religious images intended for private devotion or small chapels, reflecting contemporary demand for intimate, contemplative artworks.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Johann Rottenhammer, or Hans Rottenhammer (1564 – 14 August 1625), was a German painter. He specialized in highly finished paintings on a small scale.
