Renaissance

Baptism of Christ fresco

This fresco by Fra Angelico, painted between 1438 and 1443 for the Dominican monastery of San Marco, presents the Baptism of Christ with the clarity, stillness, and devotional intensity characteristic of the artist’s mature period. Set against a serene, winding Jordan River and a stark, mountainous landscape, the composition emphasises the humility of the moment and the contemplative ethos of the monastery for which it was made.

 

The first sequence of sculpture around the choir screen, starting at the western end of the south ambulatory, is the work of Jehan Soulas from 1519-1521. Sculpted from the hard limestone from the Tonnerre quarry, they consist of scenes from the Gospel of James, depicting the annunciation of the Virgin Mary to Joachim and St Anne, the birth of Mary, and the presentation of Mary in the temple.

 

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