Paris Bordone, 'Christ baptising Saint John Martyr', about 1565
About the work
Overview
A young man kneels in a prison cell, wearing the robes and horned cap of a doge (the elected head of the Venetian state). On the ground are wooden stocks and heavy chains with manacles from which he has just been freed. Christ empties a cup over the young man’s bowed head. Two angels arrive holding towels and one carries a ceramic jug. Another angel with keys appears in the darkened arch to the right.
It was once thought that this painting showed Christ anointing a doge of Venice in prison. In fact, the young man is Neanias, a duke of Alexandria who later became Saint John, a Christian martyr. Neanias was made duke of Alexandria by the Emperor Diocletian and instructed to suppress the Christian community, but was instead converted to Christianity by a vision. However, his mother betrayed him and he was tortured and imprisoned. Christ appeared to Neanias in his cell, accompanied by angels. He baptised Neanias and gave him the name John.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Christ baptising Saint John Martyr
- Artist
- Paris Bordone
- Artist dates
- 1500 - 1571
- Date made
- about 1565
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 63.5 × 70.8 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Layard Bequest, 1916
- Inventory number
- NG3122
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Previous owners
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Nicholas Penny, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Paintings’, vol. 2, ‘Venice 1540–1600’, London 2008; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
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1897B. Berenson, The Venetian Painters of the Renaissance, with an Index to their Works, 2nd edn, New York 1897
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1900L. Bailo and G. Biscaro, Della vita e delle opere di Paris Bordon, Treviso 1900
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1901A. Venturi, Storia dell'arte italiana, 11 vols, Milan 1901
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1914C. Ridolfi, Le maraviglie dell'arte, 1648, ed. D. von Hadeln, Berlin 1914
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1918C. Holmes, 'Recent Acquisitions for Public Collections V', The Burlington Magazine, XXXIII/186, 1918, pp. 105-7
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1925National Gallery, National Gallery, Trafalgar Square: Catalogue, London 1925
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1932B. Berenson, Italian Pictures of the Renaissance: A List of the Principal Artists and Their Works, with an Index of Places, Oxford 1932
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1957B. Berenson, Italian Pictures of the Renaissance: A List of the Principal Artists and Their Works, with an Index of Places: Venetian School, 2 vols, London 1957
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1959Gould, Cecil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Venetian School, London 1959
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1964G.M. Canova, Paris Bordon, Venice 1964
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1975C. Gould, Delaroche and Gautier: Gautier's Views on the 'Execution of Lady Jane Grey' and on other Compositions by Delaroche, London 1975
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1987Gould, Cecil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Schools, London 1987
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1987G. Fossaluzza and E. Manzato (eds), Paris Bordon e il suo tempo: Atti del convegno internazionale di studi, Treviso, 28-30 ottobre 1985, Treviso 1987
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2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
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2008Penny, Nicholas, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Paintings, 2, Venice, 1540-1600, London 2008
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
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