The Baptism of Christ

Veronese ran one of the busiest workshops in Venice, and this Baptism, from around 1580, came out of it. It is catalogued now as the work of Veronese and his studio together, since the master would design and paint the key passages while assistants and his own sons carried much of the rest. He treats the moment John pours water over Christ in the Jordan with the silvery colour and easy grandeur Venice loved. One detail repays a close look. Christ spreads his arms wide, ostensibly to keep his balance on the riverbank, but the pose deliberately echoes the crucifixion still to come. The Getty bought the painting in 1979.