Late Renaissance Carved Oak Sculpture of John the Baptist

Carved in oak, this striking late Renaissance figure depicts a barefoot, bearded saint in animated motion, his hands raised in a gesture of address. The flowing drapery, cut in broad, angular folds, reveals the sculptor’s concern with naturalism and movement, qualities that distinguish Netherlandish carving of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.
The figure’s appearance — ascetic features, long beard, bare feet, and mantle wrapped across the body — suggests an identification with John the Baptist, the desert preacher and forerunner of Christ. Although his traditional attributes (the lamb or cross-staff) are now lost, the physiognomy and treatment of dress correspond closely with other Netherlandish examples of the saint.