Not currently on display at the V&A

St John the Baptist

Oil Painting
16th century (painted)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Raphael (1483-1520) was born in Urbino and trained with Perugino, the master of Pinturicchio. A stay in Florence between 1504 and 1508 was decisive for his artistic development as he changed significantly his manner while he became familiar with the works of the great Florentine masters such as Leonardo and Botticelli among others. He was later summoned to the papal court in Rome where he stayed until his death in 1520, decorating affresco the papal chambers in the Vatican and creating an impressive series of portraits and independent easel paintings of religious subject matters. Raphael had many pupils among whom the most notables were Giulio Romano, Perino del Vaga and Polidoro da Caravaggio.

This work is probably an ancient copy after a painting traditionally attributed to Raphael. It shows St John the Baptist as a boy, standing in front of a cave and pointing out at his reed cross from which emanates a halo of light. St John the Baptist was an important figure in Florence of which he was regarded as the patron saint.


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleSt John the Baptist
Materials and techniques
oil on poplar panel
Brief description
Oil on poplar panel, 'St John the Baptist', after Raphael, 16th century
Physical description
St. John the Baptist is portrayed as a youth wearing a leopard skin and pointing out up at his reed cross stands before cave, in his left hand he hold a scroll inscribed '…S DEI'; in the right background is a mountainous landscape.
Dimensions
  • Estimate height: 127cm
  • Estimate width: 104cm
Dimensions taken from C.M. Kauffmann, Catalogue of Foreign Paintings, I. Before 1800, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1973
Style
Marks and inscriptions
[AGNU]S DEI (Inscribed on scroll)
Translation
Lamb of God
Object history
Purchased, 1856

Historical significance: This painting is a reduced copy of Saint John the Baptist (Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence - 165 x 147 cm) traditionally given to Raphael but most likely a studio work. It is sometimes related to Vasari's description:

'Raphael painted a St John on canvas for cardinal Colonna, who bore a great love for the painting because of its beauty, and when he was struck down by illness, the doctor who cured him, Messer Jacopo da Carpi, asked for the painting as a gift, and since Messer Jacopo wanted it, the cardinal, who felt he was under an endless obligation to him, gave it up, and it is now in Florence in the possession of Francesco Benintendi'.

Generally dated around 1518-19, the original painting entered the Uffizi collection as eary as 1589.

The composition shows St John the Baptist as a boy wrapped into a leopard skin, pointing out at his reed cross from which emanates a halo of light and holding in his left hand a scroll, on which can be read '[AGNU]S DEI' (i.e. lamb of God) alluding to the coming sacrifice of Christ. St John is set against a large piece of rock, perhaps the entrance of a cave, with a small stream running besides him. The features of the face are not as round and graceful as the original but look a little square and harsh.
The original composition was evidently successful as many early copies are known. The present work, on poplar panel, was probably made in the 16th century in Italy, probably in Florence.

Raphael executed another painting of the saint (Louvre, Paris) which appears to be a variant of that at the Accademia, and could have been made a couple of years earlier.
Historical context
History painting, i.e. depictions of non recurring events based on religious, classical, literary or allegorical sources, particularly developed in Italy during the Renaissance (15th-16th centuries). History painting could include religious themes, or depictions of momentous recent events, but the term was most frequently associated with Classical subject-matter. However a renewed impetus was given to religious subjects after the Council of Trent (1545-63), which stipulated new iconographical programmes.

St John the Baptist was an important figure in Florence, where he was, among others, the patron saint.
Subjects depicted
Summary
Raphael (1483-1520) was born in Urbino and trained with Perugino, the master of Pinturicchio. A stay in Florence between 1504 and 1508 was decisive for his artistic development as he changed significantly his manner while he became familiar with the works of the great Florentine masters such as Leonardo and Botticelli among others. He was later summoned to the papal court in Rome where he stayed until his death in 1520, decorating affresco the papal chambers in the Vatican and creating an impressive series of portraits and independent easel paintings of religious subject matters. Raphael had many pupils among whom the most notables were Giulio Romano, Perino del Vaga and Polidoro da Caravaggio.

This work is probably an ancient copy after a painting traditionally attributed to Raphael. It shows St John the Baptist as a boy, standing in front of a cave and pointing out at his reed cross from which emanates a halo of light. St John the Baptist was an important figure in Florence of which he was regarded as the patron saint.
Bibliographic references
  • Kauffmann, C.M. Catalogue of Foreign Paintings, I. Before 1800, London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1973, pp.230-234, cat. no. 29.1
  • Vasari, Le vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori ed architettori, Milanesi ed.,Florence, 1878-1885, iv, p. 370. f.
  • A. Rosenberg, Raffael, 4th ed., 1909, pl, 166, p. 247.
  • M. Prisco and P. De Vecchi, L'opera completa di Raffaello, Milan, 1966, cat. no. 144.
Collection
Accession number
5470-1856

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Record createdOctober 21, 2005
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