Baptism in the River Jordan

Baptism in the River Jordan is part of collection of more than 45 representations of episodes in the life of Christ painted by Ângela Trindade. In a rather conventional representation of one of the main events of Jesus time on earth, the son of God is seen in the middle of the river Jordan where he receives the Holy Spirit descending from the sky in the form of a dove, after receiving his baptism from John the Baptist.
In Western iconography an angel usually stands on the bank of river holding Christ’s vests. In Ângela’s depiction the angel has a human resemblance, wears a saffron gown and is seen with its hands in a praying mudra. Apart from the subcontinental features and garments of the characters in this scene, the artist sets its location in the outskirt of an Indian village where a Hindu temple can be seen in the background.