Baptism of Christ

A painted and gilded wooden relief shows John the Baptist, shaggy and bearded in a rough garment, pouring water over the kneeling, nude Christ, whose hands are pressed together in prayer. A gold-winged angel in a flowing robe looks on from the right against a rocky, carved background.

Look closer: A small red book is held at the Baptist's hip, with a lamb-like sense of rest in the lower left.

Artist

Veit Stoss

Date

ca. 1480–1490

Medium

Limewood with paint and gilding

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

3293 × 3815 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1912