Spanish school; XVII century.

Spanish school; 17th century.
"Saint John the Baptist".
Oil on canvas.
Preserves original canvas.
Former attribution to Juan Bautista Maino (Pastrana, Guadalajara, 1581 - Madrid, 1649).
Measurements: 102 x 77 cm; 187 x 135 cm (frame).
In this work, deeply marked by devotion, the painter portrays Saint John the Baptist as a young beardless boy, holding the cross of reeds with the phylactery which reads "Ecce Agnus Dei", typical of his iconography. The saint is shown set in a lush nocturnal landscape of great depth, worked with a successful play of light contrasts that allow the mother-of-pearl finish of the protagonist's skin to become the illumination of the work. This characteristic shows us a delicate young man, not only in tone but also in form, with a rounded, delicate anatomy, as can be seen especially in the legs and also in the facial features, with the profile of the nose standing out, which is further enhanced by a pinkish finish that enhances the idea of youth. The painter of the work, which is based on the classical iconography of the scene, although he abandons the idea of the lamb, which is customary in depictions of Saint John the Baptist. In such a way that it gives greater prominence to the figure of the saint, in an individual, delicate and resounding manner. The quality of the finishes is excellent, the subtlety of the Nimbus of Holiness and the folding of the red cloak, with its play of light and shadow that shapes the volume in a fluid and natural way, are examples of the painter's artistic skill.
The Gospels say of John the Baptist that he was the son of the priest Zechariah and Elizabeth, cousin of the Virgin Mary. He retired at a very young age to the Judean desert to lead an ascetic life and preach penance, and recognised in Jesus, who was baptised by him, the Messiah foretold 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".