A kneeling figure of Jesus Christ dominates the lower center, his hands clasped to his chest as he bows his head to receive baptism from Saint John the Baptist, who stands at the right and pours water from a large shell onto Jesus’ head. To the left, a group of angels in swirling robes of yellow, green, and red cluster closely together, their faces attentive and their hands clasped or holding draperies, as if witnessing the sacred event. At the feet of Jesus, a kneeling angel in a vivid red garment holds a blue cloth, while another angel behind her extends a red and white drapery toward Christ’s shoulders.

Above the central figures, a burst of radiant light breaks through the clouds, illuminating a white dove that descends toward Jesus, symbolizing the Holy Spirit. The swirling clouds and billowing garments, painted with energetic, visible brushstrokes, create a sense of movement and spiritual intensity throughout the scene. The color palette is dominated by luminous whites, vibrant reds, deep blues, and golden yellows, with stark contrasts of light and shadow that heighten the drama of the moment.

The figures are elongated and their poses are expressive, characteristic of the style associated with El Greco. The composition is vertically oriented, drawing the viewer’s gaze from the earthly event at the riverbank upward to the divine realm above. Small cherubs and angels populate the clouds, their forms merging with the swirling atmosphere, adding to the sense of heavenly presence.

Clusters of small cherubic figures, some with faintly outlined wings, are scattered among the dark swirling clouds, especially in the upper half of the composition. The left edge of the canvas is bordered by the outstretched wing of an angel in a green robe, whose feathers are rendered with energetic, streaky brushstrokes of white and gray. The rocky ground at the bottom of the painting is painted in earthy browns and grays, with visible highlights and shadows suggesting uneven, jagged surfaces beneath the central figures’ feet.

Light falls most intensely on the central vertical axis, illuminating the bodies of Christ and the angels below, while the corners and edges of the painting recede into shadowy, loosely painted darkness.