The Baptism of Christ

Francesco da Cotignola painted this Baptism of Christ around 1514 for the National Gallery. The Zaganelli brothers' workshop maintained a consistent production of devotional panels for churches across the Romagna throughout the early sixteenth century. The 1510s were a decade of extraordinary artistic achievement across Europe, shaped by the mature works of Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and the Venetian masters.

The panel presents the baptism scene in the Jordan with the clear drawing and vivid coloring characteristic of the Zaganelli workshop, combining landscape setting with devotional figure painting.