Spanish school. Possibly Valladolid, first half of the 17th century.

Spanish school. Possibly Valladolid, first half of the seventeenth century.
"The baptism of Christ".
Oil on canvas
Presents punctures.
Measurements: 147 x 121 cm; 162 x 138 x 5 cm (frame).

Work of special iconographic and technical interest that is framed in the transition of the final Mannerism towards the Baroque Naturalism in Spain. Dedicated to the Baptism of Christ, the painter deploys a language inserted in the early Baroque, with clear links to the artistic environment of Valladolid, one of the most active centers of religious painting of the time.

The treatment of the figures combines naturalism and idealization, with serene faces and restrained gestures, characteristic of Castilian Baroque classicism. The light, soft but directed, models the volumes and provides depth without stridency, moving away from the tenebrist dramatism to privilege a clear and didactic spirituality. The river landscape, schematic but effective, acts as a symbolic and spatial frame, underlining the sacramental character of the scene.

In the 17th century, Valladolid was a major artistic center (it was the seat of the Court between 1601 and 1606). The work has a high didactic and devotional value, typical of the Counter-Reformation. The style suggests an artist who knows well the work of masters such as Santiago Morán or even the influence of Gregorio Fernández's sculpture in the roundness of the folds and the expressiveness of the faces.