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Baptism of Christ
About the Artwork
When Innocent X (Giovanni Battista Pamphili, ruled 1644–55) became pope, Alessandro Algardi endeavored to obtain his patronage. This bronze Baptism of Christ is a casting from the molds used for an original silver sculpture that Algardi presented to the new pope to gain his support in 1646. The composition depicts an important scene in the life of Christ. On the right is John the Baptist, who pours water onto Jesus's head from a shell. As Christ bows his head to be baptized, a little angel holds the edge of his cloak. Algardi worked carefully to make this piece exciting from a number of points of view. Its dramatic emphasis shifts, depending on the viewer's vantage point.
Provenance
Franzoni (Fransone, Franzone) Family (Genoa, Italy) Charles Butler (Warren Wood, England); by inheritance to his heirs 1964: C. H. A. Butler, his grandson (Shortgrove, Newport, Essex, England) (sold by Christie's, London, lot no. 66, to P. & D. Colnaghi & Co., Ltd.) 1965: P. & D. Colnaghi & Co., Ltd., London, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Exhibition history
Golden Anniversary of Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 10-October 16, 1966). Vatican Treasures: Early Christian, Renaissance, and Baroque Art from the Papal Collections. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 8-April 12, 1998). Alessandro Algardi: Lo scultore e i suoi committenti nella Roma del Seicento (Alessandro Algardi: The Sculpture and His Clients in Seventeenth-century Rome). Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome (January 20-April 30, 1999).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Alessandro Algardi (Italian, 1598–1654)
- Date
- designed 1645–46, probably made 1650–55
- Medium
- bronze
- Dimensions
- Overall: 62.5 x 46.8 x 33.4 cm (24 5/8 x 18 7/16 x 13 1/8 in.)
- Type
- Sculpture
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Department
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund
- Accession no.
- 1965.471
More by Alessandro Algardi in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00010639
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