Saint John the Baptist
unknown (Spanish School)
Basic information
- ID
- Ж-180
- Author
- unknown (Spanish School)
- Name
- Saint John the Baptist
- Date of creation
- 17th c.
- Technique
- oil painting
- Material
- duplicated canvas oil
- Dimensions (height x width, cm)
- 42 x 59
Additionally
- Type
- painting
- Genre
- religious
- Plot
- John the Baptist
- Provenance
- Collection of Lviv City Gallery
- Exposition
- Potocki Palace
Information about author
Object description
The painting depicts John the Baptist sitting on the edge of a road against a landscape. The saint holds a reed cross, one of his attributes, with a rolled-up scroll on top. On it is a Latin inscription, "Ecce Agnus Dei" ("Behold the Lamb of God"), words spoken by John just before he baptised Christ (John 1:29–34). The saint is dressed in the skin of an animal, girded with a belt. His head is almost in front, tilted upwards. His eyes are turned upwards. A lamb is depicted on the left at his feet. The connection between Christ and the lamb can be traced in the descriptions of Christ's crucifixion, which occurred during the Jewish Passover holiday. According to the Gospel, Christ was led to his death while the lambs were being sacrificed for the holiday. The Gospel of Matthew describes how St John the Baptist lived in the desert, eating only locusts and wild honey and wearing a tunic of camel's hair. He baptised the people of Judea in the Jordan River and preached about the coming of Christ.
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery
