Angels in representations of the Baptism of Christ : a survey with reference to El Greco's innovative approach to the scene

Abstract

Angels in Christian art mainly fulfil the role of intermediaries between God and human beings or messengers from God. In this article the focus will be on the inclusion of angels in representations of the Baptism of Christ, which poses a special problem because this iconography has no Biblical basis. Explanations are suggested for this deviation from the Biblical evidence, and the formal development of the theme is briefly surveyed in order to ascertain stages of innovative representation since early Christian times. Speculation about innovation in art, relevant to the discussion of the inclusion of angels in Baptism scenes, leads to an interpretation of two paintings by El Greco which present a late sixteenth-century innovative approach to the theme.