2-743-404 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Baptism of Christ in the Jordan, c. 1480-90. Christ wades in the Jordan River to be blessed by John the Baptist, whose left hand rests on a book of scripture, signifying the fulfillment of prophecy. Overhead, the Spirit of God approvingly descends in the form of a dove. Schongauer’s engraved lines inventively emulate different natural qualities and textures, for example the fur of John’s robe, the figures’ spiraling locks of hair, and the stippled wings of the angel.