Saint John the Baptist as a Boy (Andrea del Sarto)
Saint John the Baptist as a Boy is an oil-on-panel painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Andrea del Sarto, executed c. 1525, now in the Palatine Gallery of the Palazzo Pitti in Florence.[1]
Vasari's
The Palatine Gallery work was the central one in the decoration of the
The work was later given to
Description and style
Against a dark background, the Baptist stands out half-length like a teenager in a heroic pose, modeled on the example of classical sculptures. The face, characterized as a portrait, sends an intense gaze towards the left as in Michelangelo's David, and anticipating the figurations of Caravaggio. The eyes are expressive, the hair capriciously shaggy.
The saint has the camel skin of his hermitage tied to his shoulder, which falls at the waist leaving his chest and arms uncovered. In his hand he holds the basin with which he imparted the
References
- ^ "Catalogue entry" (in Italian).
- JSTOR 24392275.
- OCLC 1154189952.
- OCLC 629834756.
- ISBN 88-8117-028-0
- ISBN 978-88-86392-48-8