John baptises Christ in the Jordan. Engraving by P. Galle, 1564, after M. van Heemskerck.

Bible. N.T. Matthew 3.13-17; Mark 1.9-13; Luke 3.21-22. John 1.29-32. On the left John remonstrates with the Pharisees and Sadducees, the "generation of vipers" (Matthew 3.7-10; Luke 3.7-9). Two locusts, a staple of John's diet in the wilderness, lie on the bankside, next to something which may be intended to be a honeycomb. In the centre, John baptises Jesus and the Holy Spirit appears in the form of a dove, descending from a trinity of ghostly faces above. Next to John's reed cross sits a lamb (referring to John's exclamation on seeing Christ, "Behold the lamb of God" (John 1.36)). On the right are the people bathing in the Jordan, baptised by John. The figure walking in the distance is Jesus, who should be approaching the baptism, but is walking away