This exquisite early 17th-century oil on copper depicts The Baptism of Christ. Its composition is derived from an engraving by Adriaen Collaert (c.1560-1618) after Maerten de Vos (1532-1603), whose designs profoundly influenced both Northern and Southern European sacred art.Here, Saint John the Baptist kneels beside Christ in the Jordan, as the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descends in radiant light. Two angels on the right cradle a crimson mantle - the garment of glory that prefigures Christ’s Resurrection. Around them unfolds a tranquil landscape, rendered with lyrical sensitivity: water glides over stones, distant figures stand in quiet awe, and above, cherubim herald the divine revelation.The scene is alive with theological resonance. The descending dove symbolises the Holy Spirit’s grace, the flowing water suggests the purification of the soul, and the red drapery foreshadows sacrifice and redemption. It''s an image that would have spoken profoundly to its first owner.<...