The Baptism of Christ

A painting by a master and his pupil

The Baptism of Christ was made in the Florentine workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio around 1470 to 1475, for the monastery of San Salvi near Florence. It is now in the Uffizi Gallery.

Several hands worked on it. Verrocchio designed the composition and painted much of it in tempera. His young pupil Leonardo da Vinci, then around twenty, painted parts in the new technique of oil.

Leonardo’s angel

At the lower left kneel two angels holding Christ’s garments. The one on the left, seen in profile with soft golden curls, is traditionally given to Leonardo. Giorgio Vasari wrote in the sixteenth century that Verrocchio, seeing how much better his pupil’s angel was, decided never to paint again.

That story is almost certainly exaggerated, but the difference is visible. Leonardo’s angel is softer, more three-dimensional and more alive than the stiffer angel beside it.

A misty landscape behind

Technical studies show that Leonardo also painted much of the landscape, with its river, rocks and hazy distance, in oil over Verrocchio’s design. It is one of the first examples of his atmospheric landscapes.

Christ and John the Baptist

Christ stands in the river with his hands joined in prayer. John the Baptist pours water over his head from a small bowl.

John is lean and bony, with a sharp profile, holding a thin cross. His figure, in the harder style of Verrocchio, contrasts with the softer modelling of the angel.

At the top, the hands of God release the dove of the Holy Spirit, surrounded by golden rays.

The legend of the angel

Giorgio Vasari, the sixteenth-century biographer of artists, told a famous story about this painting. He wrote that when Verrocchio saw the angel painted by his young pupil, he realised it was better than anything he could do himself, and he never touched a brush again. The story is almost certainly exaggerated, since Verrocchio continued to work, but it shows how quickly Leonardo’s talent was recognised.

Comparing the two angels makes the difference clear. Leonardo’s angel turns gracefully, with soft modelling and luminous hair. The angel beside it, painted by another hand, looks stiffer and flatter.

Oil and tempera together

The painting was begun in tempera, a fast-drying paint made with egg, which was the traditional technique in Florence. Leonardo’s parts were painted in oil, which dries slowly and allows soft blending and deep, glowing colours. Technical studies have shown oil in the angel, in parts of the landscape and in the body of Christ.

The contrast between the two techniques shows a moment of change in Italian painting. Oil, long used by Flemish painters, was becoming the preferred medium, and Leonardo was among its pioneers in Florence.

The subject

The painting shows John the Baptist pouring water over the head of Christ in the river Jordan. Above, the hands of God release the dove of the Holy Spirit, as described in the Gospels. The two angels at the left hold Christ’s clothes, ready for him when he leaves the water.

John’s thin, sinewy body reflects his life in the wilderness, while Christ stands calmly, hands joined in prayer. The figures are solid and sculptural, reflecting Verrocchio’s work as a sculptor.

Verrocchio’s workshop

Andrea del Verrocchio ran one of the most important workshops in Florence. Sculpture, painting and metalwork were all produced there. Several future masters trained or worked with him, including Leonardo, Perugino and probably Botticelli. The Baptism shows how a workshop picture could combine the hands of a master and his talented pupils.

Where to see it

The Baptism of Christ hangs in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, close to Leonardo’s Annunciation. Our hand-painted oil reproduction follows this composition. For more masterpieces, explore our top 100 most famous paintings.

Questions about The Baptism of Christ

Who painted it?

Andrea del Verrocchio and his workshop, with parts, including the left angel and much of the landscape, by the young Leonardo da Vinci.

Where is the original?

Uffizi Gallery, Florence.

Did Verrocchio stop painting because of Leonardo?

Vasari said so, but the story is considered an exaggeration.

How large is it?

About 177 × 151 centimetres, tempera and oil on panel.

Did Verrocchio stop painting after seeing Leonardo’s angel?

Vasari said so, but the story is probably exaggerated.

Which parts did Leonardo paint?

The left angel, parts of the landscape and probably some of Christ’s body, all in oil.

Sources and image credit

• Uffizi Galleries: Baptism of Christ
• Wikimedia Commons: Baptism of Christ

Public-domain reproduction of The Baptism of Christ (about 1470 to 1475), via Wikimedia Commons. Detail images are crops of the same historical painting; no reconstruction or upscaling.