Francesco AlbaniItalian, 1578–1660Baptism of Christ
Can I see it?
Yes, on view now
Where is “Baptism of Christ” now? State Hermitage Museum, Room 237, Saint Petersburg. Yes, on view now. Checked August 29, 2026.
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Closing soon· until 9:00 PM
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
Museum text in Russian
О крещении Христа в водах реки Иордан, совершенном Иоанном Крестителем, сообщается во всех четырех Евангелиях (от Матфея, 3, 13-17; от Марка, 1, 9-11; от Луки, 3, 21-22; от Иоанна, 1, 29-34). Следуя традиции, Альбани изображает момент, когда с небес спустился Св. Дух в виде голубя и таинственный голос возвестил, что Христос есть Сын Божий. Композиция кажется чуть сплюснутой сверху, но это впечатление создается из-за того, что верхняя часть работы ее утрачена.
State Hermitage Museum
Details
- Accession number
- ГЭ-29
In the catalog
Sources
- State Hermitage Museum
- Image: State Hermitage Museum — Museum open access
In the life of Francesco Albani
The whole life1630s
Begins a treatise on painting
Albani begins a treatise on painting, whose general content is known from excerpts of his notes published in Malvasia's biography: it stresses the importance of invention and of the artist's education and sharply criticizes the naturalism of Caravaggio and his followers.
by 1643
A family of twelve children
By 1643 the Albani family numbers twelve children; the putti that increasingly populate his secular and sacred paintings, his biographers said, were modelled on his own babies. Other accounts say that his second marriage, to Doralice Fioravanti, produced ten children who served as models for the angels.
1645–1660
The workshop turns out replicas
Extensive workshop assistance and the execution of many replicas account for the decline in quality of works datable after 1645; other accounts say that for the last thirty years of his life the workshop kept producing small mythological and religious pictures of uneven quality.
1651
Letters to Andrea Sacchi on the Bamboccianti
In an exchange of letters with his pupil Andrea Sacchi Albani shows little regard for the northern Bamboccianti in Rome, though he unexpectedly appreciates the satirical and humorous content of their paintings.
