Roman School, 17th Century
Saint John the Baptist,
oil on canvas, 152.5 x 108.5 cm, framed
The present painting is a variant of the similar composition by Caravaggio in the Capitoline Museums, Rome, dated 1602 (129 x 95 cm, inv. no. PC 239).
However, there are significant iconographic differences between the present work and Caravaggio’s composition, such as the position of the tasso-barbasso, the plant, symbolizing redemption and rebirth. The most significant variation between the two paintings, however, is the inclusion of the cross at the feet of the Saint in the present painting, what is not in the Capitoline painting. This may indicate the possibility of two versions of the composition, one religious, the other profane: a Saint John with a lamb and a Shepherd with a ram.
The subject of Saint John with the lamb was painted by Caravaggio several times: Galleria Borghese, Rome (1610, inv. no. 267), Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City (1601/02, inv. no. 52-25), Palazzo degli Alberti, Prato. However, the present Saint John does not seem to strictly derive from any of these compositions, and it appears to be the only known version with this precise compositional invention.
Specialist: Mark MacDonnell
Mark MacDonnell
+43 1 515 60 403
mark.macdonnell@dorotheum.at
09.06.2020 - 16:00
- Realized price: **
-
EUR 22,800.-
- Estimate:
-
EUR 18,000.- to EUR 22,000.-
Roman School, 17th Century
Saint John the Baptist,
oil on canvas, 152.5 x 108.5 cm, framed
The present painting is a variant of the similar composition by Caravaggio in the Capitoline Museums, Rome, dated 1602 (129 x 95 cm, inv. no. PC 239).
However, there are significant iconographic differences between the present work and Caravaggio’s composition, such as the position of the tasso-barbasso, the plant, symbolizing redemption and rebirth. The most significant variation between the two paintings, however, is the inclusion of the cross at the feet of the Saint in the present painting, what is not in the Capitoline painting. This may indicate the possibility of two versions of the composition, one religious, the other profane: a Saint John with a lamb and a Shepherd with a ram.
The subject of Saint John with the lamb was painted by Caravaggio several times: Galleria Borghese, Rome (1610, inv. no. 267), Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City (1601/02, inv. no. 52-25), Palazzo degli Alberti, Prato. However, the present Saint John does not seem to strictly derive from any of these compositions, and it appears to be the only known version with this precise compositional invention.
Specialist: Mark MacDonnell
Mark MacDonnell
+43 1 515 60 403
mark.macdonnell@dorotheum.at
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| Auction: | Old Master Paintings |
| Auction type: | Saleroom auction |
| Date: | 09.06.2020 - 16:00 |
| Location: | Vienna | Palais Dorotheum |
| Exhibition: | 02.06. - 09.06.2020 |
** Purchase price incl. charges and taxes
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