Which artist painted the Sistine Chapel fresco showing the Baptism of Christ?

Pietro Perugino painted the Sistine Chapel fresco showing the Baptism of Christ. The scene depicts John the Baptist baptizing Jesus in the Jordan River and formed part of the chapel’s original wall decoration.

Perugino was a leading Italian Renaissance painter from Umbria and an important influence on the young Raphael. He worked in the Sistine Chapel during the major campaign of the 1480s, when artists created paired scenes from the lives of Moses and Christ.

The fresco presents Christ and John at the center, with God’s presence indicated above and a broad landscape receding behind them. Its balanced composition and clear figures reflect Perugino’s characteristic style.

The work is sometimes confused with other chapel scenes because several artists decorated the same walls at approximately the same time. Perugino also painted Christ Giving the Keys to Saint Peter in the chapel.