Baptism and Temptations of Christ

Veronese (Paolo Caliari)

Download hi-res image TITLE Baptism and Temptations of Christ
AUTHOR Veronese (Paolo Caliari)
DATE c. 1582
OBJECT TYPE AND MATERIAL Oil on canvas
DIMENSIONS cm 248 x 450
INVENTORY 136
ROOM IX
Work on display

This painting, once part of a large decorative cycle, depicts two rarely associated episodes from the Gospels, linking them visually with a series of diagonal lines stretching from the angel upper left and guiding the observer’s eye towards the right-hand side of the composition, where Devil seeks to tempt Christ in the wilderness. The painter’s true protagonist is the landscape in the centre, with its magnificent light effects achieved with rapid brushstrokes fading towards Jerusalem in the distance.