St John the Baptist (The Baptism of Jesus)

This scene marks the beginning of Jesus’ mission, his baptism in the River Jordan. Jesus was baptised by St John the Baptist, who spent half his youth alone in the desert, and then began to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of God, and baptised penitents in the river. John baptised Jesus and called him the Messiah, and during the baptism the Holy Spirit came down from heaven like a dove.

The theme, which has been common in professional art since the Renaissance, found its way into folk art. Jesus wades into the river, St John pours water over his head, and a dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit, soars over them. Sometimes God the Father is also portrayed. The scene is depicted in this picture by an unknown folk painter. The figures of St John the Baptist and the baptised Jesus dominate, along with the Holy Spirit in the halo of light over Jesus’ head. The background is light grey and brown, and the figures stand out against it. They are painted in soft brushwork. The misty landscape behind them recalls the Lithuanian plains, and the River Jordan is portrayed as a shallow stream. The size of the canvas, the soft brushwork of the oil painting, the indistinct shapes of the figures, and the landscape stretching away towards the horizon, show it to be the work of a trained painter.

People used to call the scene St John the Baptist, or St John, because he was considered the main figure in the composition. In sculptures, he was often raised higher or made larger than Jesus. St John the Baptist was considered a protector from accidents in or near water, saving people from evil spirits and ghosts, and from being haunted by the souls of unbaptised babies.

Text author Skaidrė Urbonienė

This scene marks the beginning of Jesus’ mission, his baptism in the River Jordan. Jesus was baptised by St John the Baptist, who spent half his youth alone in the desert, and then began to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of God, and baptised penitents in the river. John baptised Jesus and called him the Messiah, and during the baptism the Holy Spirit came down from heaven like a dove.

The theme, which has been common in professional art since the Renaissance, found its way into folk art. Jesus wades into the river, St John pours water over his head, and a dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit, soars over them. Sometimes God the Father is also portrayed. The scene is depicted in this picture by an unknown folk painter. The figures of St John the Baptist and the baptised Jesus dominate, along with the Holy Spirit in the halo of light over Jesus’ head. The background is light grey and brown, and the figures stand out against it. They are painted in soft brushwork. The misty landscape behind them recalls the Lithuanian plains, and the River Jordan is portrayed as a shallow stream. The size of the canvas, the soft brushwork of the oil painting, the indistinct shapes of the figures, and the landscape stretching away towards the horizon, show it to be the work of a trained painter.

People used to call the scene St John the Baptist, or St John, because he was considered the main figure in the composition. In sculptures, he was often raised higher or made larger than Jesus. St John the Baptist was considered a protector from accidents in or near water, saving people from evil spirits and ghosts, and from being haunted by the souls of unbaptised babies.

Text author Skaidrė Urbonienė