St John the Baptist thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

St John the Baptist

Statue
middle of 15th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The figure, which is relatively coarse in handling is certainly Tuscan, and perhaps Sienese. In the treatment of the features it recalls the much superior Risen Christ of Vecchietta at Vico Alto (1442), and despite its superficially archaic appearance, it can hardly date before the middle of the 15th century.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleSt John the Baptist (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Pigmented wood
Brief description
Statue, pigmented wood, St. John the Baptist, Italian (Tuscan), middle of 15th century
Physical description
The Saint is shown in full-face and full-length. His right hand is raised in benediction, and he wears a mottle grey skin. The flesh areas are painted naturalistically, and the hair is dark brown. On a cartellino held against the left arm are words inscribed.
Dimensions
  • Height: 121.9cm
Marks and inscriptions
'ECCE/AGN./VSDEI/ECCE/QVI/TOLL' (on the cartellino)
Object history
Given by Dr. W. L. Hildburgh, F. S. A.
Subject depicted
Summary
The figure, which is relatively coarse in handling is certainly Tuscan, and perhaps Sienese. In the treatment of the features it recalls the much superior Risen Christ of Vecchietta at Vico Alto (1442), and despite its superficially archaic appearance, it can hardly date before the middle of the 15th century.
Bibliographic reference
Pope-Hennessy, John. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Volume I: Text. Eighth to Fifteenth Century. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1964, p. 259, cat. no. 276
Collection
Accession number
A.19-1950

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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