Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness
Artist:
Luca Giordano
(Italian, 1634 - 1705)
Culture: Italian
Date: ca. 1660
Place made:Italy
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
57 1/2 × 46 1/4 in. (146.1 × 117.5 cm)
Framed: 72 × 60 in. (182.9 × 152.4 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, given in memory of Mary Halsell Vilan by The Ewing Halsell Foundation
Object number: 84.46
Signed: Unsigned
Provenance: sold by H. Schickman Gallery, New York, to Ewing Halsell Foundation, San Antonio, 1984; Ewing Halsell Foundation by gift to San Antonio Museum of Art, 1984
Exhibition History: Glories of the Baroque: 17th Century Art at the San Antonio Museum of Art, 3 May - 27 July 2014
Label Text
A preacher who lived in the wilderness, Saint John the Baptist prophesied the coming of Jesus Christ. The animal skin he wears around his torso, the rocky landscape in which he sits, and the shell in his left hand, used to baptize Christ, all allude to his story. The realism of his rugged figure, strong contrasts of light and dark, and shallow space are all characteristics of the Baroque style developed in seventeenth-century Rome by artists like Caravaggio. Born in Naples, Luca Giordano was influenced by Caravaggio, who worked there briefly.
On view
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
