The Baptism of Christ

Lyonais painter Jacques Stella enjoyed one of the most spectacular artistic careers of the 17th century. For extended periods he served Cosimo II de Medici in Florence, Pope Urban VIII in Rome, and Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu in Paris. He became one of the leading exponents of classicism in France. The present drawing of the baptism of Christ appears to be an early study for a major altarpiece completed in 1645 (Saint-Louis-en-l’Île, Paris). The Louvre owns a closely related drawing of the composition in a more advanced stage. Many elements of our drawing were carried over to the finished painting, but ultimately the artist chose to present Christ as standing rather than kneeling.