Thursday, August 25, 2011

Often when St. John the Baptist is depicted with Christ, they seem to be of similar size and age. A mosaic in the dome of the Arian Baptistery, Sta. Maria in Cosmedin (formerly the Basilica of Spirito Santo), Ravenna (c. 500), shows the moment in which St. John the Baptist baptizes Christ and the dove of the Holy Spirit descends. The same moment is captured in the Gold Codex of Gniezno (Codex aureus Gnesnensis) (a. 1075). Both representations portray the Christ and St. John the Baptist as approximately the same age and height; although in the Ravenna mosais the Christ appears to be a bit younger (See illustrations below). Another common thread in these two works is the representation of the Christ nude.

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