BAPTISM OF CHRIST AND NAAMAN CURED OF LEPROSY

This canvas is part of a cycle of paintings centered on the life of Christ, commissioned by the Benedictines in 1593 to be executed by the painter of Greek origin, Antonio Vassilacchi, called l’Aliense. In the scene presented in the painting, The Baptism of Christ, the full contribution the skill of Jacopo Tintoretto contributed to the development of l’Aliense is apparent. The marked contrasts in the way the scene is lit, typical of luminists, which underscore the manifestation of the Divinity, and the dramatic and theatrical setting, where clouds and stormy skies are placed like the wings of a stage, are elements which call to mind the painting of Vassilacchi’s master. The background features the Old Testament scene of Naaman being cured of leprosy by Eliseo in the river Jordan. In each of these great canvasses, the Christological episode is associated with an event in the Old Testament, underscoring the coming of Christ as fulfillment of the word of the prophets.