In the Church of Santa Corona in Vicenza, between 1500 and 1502, one of the most significant altarpieces of the Italian Renaissance was painted: Giovanni Bellini's Baptism of Christ. The work was commissioned by Battista Graziani, a nobleman from Vicenza who, grief-stricken after the premature deaths of his children and following a journey to the Holy Land, decided to erect a magnificent altar dedicated to the Saint who was his namesake. Bellini executed the work relatively late in his career, when he was about 70 years old, but was nevertheless successful in renewing his art, through observing the innovations of younger artists, such as Cima da Conegliano and Giorgione in particular. The result was the colourful splendour of a painting in which the landscape plays a prominent role.
