19th century Spanish school

Spanish school of the XIX century.
"The baptism of Christ".
Oil on board of oval format.
It has Repainting and lack of polychrome.
Measurements: 28.5 x 22 cm; 49 x 43 cm (frame).

The present work shows an idealized natural landscape in the background, with the main figures in large size in the foreground, as was usual after the provisions of the Council of Trent that led the change of Roman Catholicism in the Counter-Reformation. On the left, with his characteristic red mantle lying at his feet, is St. John the Baptist, pouring water over Christ. Christ kneeling over the waters is clothed only in a cloth of purity, and his posture shows a gesture of great humility as he bows his head while holding his two hands clasped on his chest. Iconographically, the theme of the Baptism of Christ is one of the oldest in Christian art due to its theological importance and the Sacrament that derives from it (which is why it has undergone variations that, on occasions, can be related to liturgical variations in the Sacrament of Baptism). As it is logical, it has varied according to the moment, the style and the school to which each work belongs.