Doop van Christus (linker deel) 1680 - 1694

Curator: Standing before us is "Baptism of Christ (left part)" a print created by Jean Pesne sometime between 1680 and 1694. It’s part of the Rijksmuseum collection, rendered through engraving, with very fine lines. Editor: The density of detail gives it almost a sepia dreaminess. There is this muted palette with the light capturing a ripple of expectancy through all the figures gathered, all waiting at this river’s edge. Curator: This work captures a pivotal narrative scene: Christ’s submission to baptism by John the Baptist. Look how Pesne composes it within a landscape that almost fades into the background, drawing our eye to the figuration. It is deeply Baroque. Editor: Yes, it’s that dramatic Baroque style coming through. What resonates for me are the symbolic undercurrents in baptism: purification, new beginnings, rebirth. Notice how, despite the supposed humility of the act, there's also a strong feeling of a rite of passage happening here. Look at that figure in the back, reaching and pointing! Curator: Absolutely! Baptism bridges a transformation from an old life to something entirely sanctified. And the water is vital – life-giving yet also able to cleanse the world of impurities. Pesne captures that tension skillfully. Editor: Thinking about this being an engraving – the cultural and social implications behind images, repeated, shared... an act of dissemination itself is reflected in this baptism – spreading and sharing. What could we make of it now, with its repeated presence, the almost ritual-like reenactment. Curator: Perhaps the ritual of repeatedly representing baptism solidifies the viewer's faith or understanding of faith itself – by observing and almost participating with these figures on the bank. Thank you for illuminating new perspective to it. Editor: And thank you! It’s a powerful scene, rendered with sensitivity and with the capacity for repetition in mind. The act in which an engraving's purpose itself becomes the essence in this baptism ritual, spreading and allowing new perspectives across all walks of time.