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'Scenes from the life of St John the Baptist', c1505 - 10
Circle of Francesco Granacci
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Granacci was a painter from Florence and a friend of Michelangelo. Like Michelangelo,
Granacci was a pupil of Domenico Ghirlandaio. This picture was originally attributed
to Ghirlandaio, though it is now uncertain exactly who painted it.
This panel formed part of a series telling the story of the life of Saint John the
Baptist. They probably decorated a private chapel in Florence, a city which has
John the Baptist as a patron saint. Other panels from the same group are now in
the Metropolitan Museum, New York.
This panel shows events from the early life of the saint, running in chronological
order from left to right. On the left Zacharius, John’s father who has been
struck dumb in disbelief that his wife Elizabeth was pregnant, inscribes the infant’s
name Johannes in Latin on a scroll. In the next scene, John leaves Zacharius and
Elizabeth to become an infant hermit. In the top right of the panel, John receives
a blessing from the infant Jesus, who is recognisable by his halo. Finally, in the
bottom right of the composition, we see John as an adolescent leading a life of
fasting and self-denial in the wilderness, collecting water from a spring.
The beautiful landscape background, with its walled hill town and rustic buildings,
is a portrayal of the countryside around Florence in the early 16th century. The
landscape is illuminated by bright Mediterranean sunshine, with every aspect of
the countryside delineated in great detail.
The illusion of depth in the painting is achieved by linear perspective. This has
been created through the diminishing height and distance between the columns in
the leftside of the picture, by aerial perspective and through changes in the colours
and tones in the distant landscape.
The picture is painted with the light falling from the top left - the columns of
the loggia are painted accordingly in light and dark tones.
The mood in this picture is subdued and contemplative, which is appropriate for
a picture that would have been used as an aid to private devotion.
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© National Museums Liverpool.
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