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Scenes from the Life of Saint John the Baptist

ca. 1506–7
Not on view
This picture and its companion panel (also in this gallery) illustrate episodes from the life of Saint John the Baptist, who preached about the coming of Jesus. Architecture and landscape are used to frame and divide the individual scenes, enabling the viewer to follow the story from the miraculous annunciation of his conception to his father Zacharias (far left) to his birth. Painted to decorate a room in the Tornabuoni family palace in Florence, the panels are by more than one artist. Figures in the scene of Saint John bearing witness have reminded some scholars of the work of Michelangelo, who was a friend of Granacci’s (they had been fellow pupils in the workshop of Domenico Ghirlandaio), and he may have been involved in some capacity.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Scenes from the Life of Saint John the Baptist
  • Artist: Francesco Granacci (Francesco di Andrea di Marco) (Italian, Villamagna 1469–1543 Florence)
  • Date: ca. 1506–7
  • Medium: Tempera, oil, and gold on wood
  • Dimensions: 30 9/16 x 59 1/2 in. (77.6 x 151.1 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Gwynne Andrews, Harris Brisbane Dick, Dodge, Fletcher, and Rogers Funds, funds from various donors, Ella Morris de Peyster Gift, Mrs. Donald Oenslager Gift, and Gifts in memory of Robert Lehman, 1970
  • Object Number: 1970.134.1
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Saint John the Baptist Bearing Witness, Francesco Granacci Italian, Oil and gold on wood
Saint John the Baptist Bearing Witness
Francesco Granacci
ca. 1506–7
Madonna and Child, Francesco Granacci (Francesco di Andrea di Marco) Italian, Oil on wood
Madonna and Child
Francesco Granacci (Francesco di Andrea di Marco)
ca. 1520
The Crucifixion, Francesco Granacci (Francesco di Andrea di Marco) Italian, Tempera and gold on wood
The Crucifixion
Francesco Granacci (Francesco di Andrea di Marco)
ca. 1510
Madonna and Child, Vincenzo Foppa Italian, Tempera, oil, and gold on wood
Madonna and Child
Vincenzo Foppa
ca. 1480
Christ Crowned with Thorns, Antonello da Messina (Antonello di Giovanni d'Antonio) Italian, Oil, possibly over tempera, on wood
Christ Crowned with Thorns
Antonello da Messina (Antonello di Giovanni d'Antonio)

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