Christening in Tanum Church

A woman is seated on the hindmost pew of the church and turns toward the entryway, where the baptismal procession is coming closer. It is first upon closer scrutiny that the viewer discovers a man standing by the door, as well as two other women to the very right of the painting. Harriet Backer’s virtuoso skills are on fine display here, as she captures the variously illuminated surfaces as the su…