Renaissance · National Gallery of Art · 137

Saint John the Baptist

Florentine 15th Century, probably after a model by Desiderio da Settignano, c. 1490

The sculpture is a detailed bust of a young man with pale skin and wavy brown hair that almost reaches to his shoulders, seen from the chest up. He has thin, arched eyebrows, a long, straight nose, and thin red lips that are partially open. A dark red and green cloth or cloak is draped over his shoulders and tied near his left arm, and it appears to cover a light brown garment with the texture of fur. The sculpture has no base.

National Gallery of Art · National Gallery of Art, Washington · Andrew W. Mellon Collection · CC0 · Public domain

Artist: Florentine 15th Century, probably after a model by Desiderio da Settignano
Date: c. 1490
Medium: painted terracotta
Dimensions: 48.9 x 52.1 x 26 cm (19 1/4 x 20 1/2 x 10 1/4 in.)
Era: Renaissance

Why it matters

Saint John the Baptist, dated c. 1490, is catalogued by National Gallery of Art as a work in painted terracotta. The museum attributes the work to Florentine 15th Century, probably after a model by Desiderio da Settignano. The recorded dimensions are 48.9 x 52.1 x 26 cm (19 1/4 x 20 1/2 x 10 1/4 in.). This factual page is generated from the museum catalogue and links directly to its source record.

National Gallery of Art collection record