Spanish school of the first half of the 17th century

Spanish school of the first half of the 17th century.
"Saint John the Baptist".
Oil on wood.
Damaged.
Measurements: 65 x 32 cm; 72 x 40 cm (frame).
In this panel Saint John the Baptist is presented full-length, turned to his right, dressed in a fur sackcloth, which is one of his main iconographic attributes, and covered by a red cloak which alludes to his martyrdom. He carries other iconographic attributes: the lamb and the cross of reeds with a phylactery, the latter of which is barely discernible. The protagonist gives great prominence to the figure of the saint, in a practically individual, delicate and resounding manner. The quality of the finishes is excellent, the subtlety of the nimbus of sanctity or the folding of the red cloak, with the play of light and shadow that shapes the volume in a fluid and natural way, are examples of the painter's artistic skill.
As for the iconography of the saint, the Gospels state that John the Baptist was the son of the priest Zacharias and Elizabeth, cousin of the Virgin Mary. He retired very young to the Judean desert to lead an ascetic life and preach penance, and recognised in Jesus, who was baptised by him, the Messiah announced by the prophets. A year after Christ's baptism, in the year 29, John was arrested and imprisoned by the tetrarch of Galilee Herod Antipas, whose marriage to Herodias, his niece and sister-in-law, he had dared to censure. Finally St. John was beheaded, and his head given to Salome as a reward for his beautiful dances. This saint appears in Christian art in two different guises: as a child, a playmate of Jesus, and as an adult, an ascetic preacher. The adult Saint John depicted here is dressed in Eastern art in a camel-skin sackcloth, which in the West was replaced by a sheepskin, leaving his arms, legs and part of his torso bare. The red cloak he wears at times, as well as in the scene of his intercession at the Last Judgement, alludes to his martyrdom. In Byzantine art he is depicted as a large-winged angel, with his severed head on a tray which he holds in his hands. However, his attributes in Western art are very different. The most frequent is a lamb, alluding to Jesus Christ, and he often carries a cross of reeds with a phylactery with the inscription "Ecce Agnus Dei".