The Baptism of Christ

2017

This folio titled ‘The Baptism of Christ’ is a part of the  Issanama series.

The Issanama commission lies at the intersection of art and history, and offers lush evidence of the plurality and syncretism inherent in Indian culture. It’s an artistic collaboration between the founder of Sarmaya, Paul Abraham and traditional miniaturist and third-generation artist, Manish Soni of Bhilwara, Rajasthan. As such, the Issanama offers a fresh model of art patronage for the contemporary era, one in which the patron enters into an intellectual dialogue with the artist.

The commission illustrates episodes from the Bible and the life of Jesus Christ in the exquisite landscape of the Hamzanama, the earliest expression of the Indian subcontinent’s celebrated Indo-Islamic art tradition.

The scene shows Jesus coming out of the waters, after being baptised by John who holds his hand and leads him towards the bank. The visual aesthetics of this particular work is inspired by the Hamzanama painting in which Prophet Elijah rescues Prince Nur-ud-Dahr.

Title
The Baptism of Christ
Period
2017
Album Title
Issanama
Artist
Paul Abraham with Manish Soni
Style
Hamzanama
Medium
Opaque watercolour and natural pigments on hand-made paper
Dimensions
H: 60 cm x W: 49.8 cm
Accession No.
2018.33.3