Saint John the Baptist

John the Baptist baptized the people coming to him from Judea and Jerusalem with the water from the River Jordan, while also warning the Pharisees and Sadducees. He baptized with water but preached that one would come after him, of whom he is not worthy and who would baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit. The people of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to find out who he was. He confessed that he was neither Christ nor Elias, but the voice of one crying out in the wilderness.

The depiction of the saint with a lamb is static and therefore rather symbolic with an attempt to express specific moral qualities and virtues through the presented mental state, gaze and gesture.

The painting depicts a seated John with arms crossed on his chest, turned to the right with the lamb’s head at his feet. He is partially covered in a cloak with abundant folds. This depiction is reminiscent of the works of Venetian artist Johann Carl Loth (1632–1698), who frequently depicted the saint, a favorite subject of his workshop production.

The artist of the Bratislava painting was intimately acquainted with the work of Loth, but his abilities were limited. This is revealed by the less articulated shapes that lack the aptness of the template. The artist of the Bratislava painting was probably Hans Adam Weissenkircher, a student of Loth. This attribution is based on the fact that the depiction of Saint Paul with the same gesture of crossed arms in the painting located in Alte Galerie in Graz, in addition to many related works, is attributed to him. 

Zuzana Ludiková ● LUDIKOVÁ, Zuzana - BURAN, Dušan. Talianska maľba = Italian Painting. Bratislava : Slovenská národná galéria, 2013. 242 strán. ISBN 9788080591748.