Full title | Saint John the Baptist: Right Pinnacle Panel |
---|---|
Artist | Giovanni da Milano |
Artist dates | documented 1346 - 1369 |
Series | Pinnacle Panels |
Date made | about 1365 |
Medium and support | Egg tempera on wood |
Dimensions | 89.3 x 37.3 cm |
Acquisition credit | Bought, 1857 |
Inventory number | NG579.8 |
Location | Not on display |
Collection | Main Collection |
This figure has been mistaken for the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, because the prophet’s words are inscribed in Latin on the scroll he carries: ‘Behold the Virgin shall conceive.’ But a camel-hair tunic peeks out from underneath the red robes, identifying him as Saint John the Baptist: this is what the saint wore during his time preaching in the desert (Matthew 3: 4; Mark 1: 6). Close examination with a microscope reveals that there is another inscription – the original – underneath.
This panel comes from a group that once formed the uppermost tier of a large altarpiece. It was originally placed opposite an image of the Virgin Mary; together they framed an image of Christ as judge of mankind. They might have been paired here because both are traditionally thought to intervene on behalf of humanity at the Last Judgement, when souls would either be condemned to hell or elected to paradise.
This panel once formed part of the uppermost tier of a large altarpiece. The figure has been mistaken for the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, because of the Latin inscription on the scroll he carries: Behold the Virgin shall conceive. These words, taken from the book of Isaiah (Isaiah 7: 14), are seen as a prophecy of the Virgin Mary conceiving Christ.
The panel which appeared opposite this one shows the Virgin Mary, so the inscription might seem fitting. But close examination with a microscope reveals that there is another inscription – the original – underneath. The figure also wears a camel-hair tunic underneath his red robes, identifying him as Saint John the Baptist; this is what the saint wore during his time preaching in the desert (Matthew 3: 4, Mark 1: 6). Saint John is usually shown with a scroll bearing a Latin inscription of words he used about Christ while preaching: ‘Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world’ (John 1: 29). It’s possible that this is what the scroll here said originally.
This panel was originally placed on the right-hand side of an image of the ‘Apocalyptic Christ’; the Virgin appeared on the left. The theme of the whole altarpiece was divine judgement at the apocalypse, as described in the Book of Revelation (the biblical text that describes the end of the world). John the Baptist and Mary might be paired here because they are both traditionally thought to intervene on behalf of humanity at the Last Judgement.
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Saint John the Baptist: Right Pinnacle Panel
Pinnacle Panels
The three panels belonged to an altarpiece that was possibly made for the church of San Salvatore al Vescovo, the Bishop of Florence’s church, located within the Palazzo Arcivescovile. They are pinnacle panels – those appearing at the top, crowning the altarpiece.
The central pinnacle shows the ‘Apocalyptic Christ’, the judge of humanity at the end of the world, according to the Book of Revelation (Revelation 1: 13–18). This would have been flanked by panels that show the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist, who turn inwards to look towards Christ. Both figures were traditionally seen as intercessors for humanity at this moment of judgement, making their presence here, surrounding Christ as judge, appropriate.
These three panels entered our collection attached to the top of Niccolò di Pietro Gerini’s altarpiece featuring the baptism of Christ. While they would have appeared at the top of an altarpiece, as the crowning pinnacle panels, they did not originally belong to that work.
These three panels share an apocalyptic theme – that is, they relate to the Last Judgement of humanity at the end of the world. Christ is shown as the ‘Apocalyptic Christ’, reflecting how he appears in the Book of Revelation, the Bible text that describes the events that will occur at this moment (Revelation 1: 13–18).
This central image would have been flanked by panels showing the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist, turning inwards to look towards Christ. Both figures were traditionally seen as intercessors for humanity at the Last Judgement, so their presence here, surrounding Christ as judge, is appropriate. At some point before the picture came into our collection, John’s scroll was repainted with a text from the book of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. But it is definitely John the Baptist: the figure wears a camel-hair tunic, one of the saint’s identifying features.
Our panels have been associated with four others from the same altarpiece which survive in collections in Italy and America. There’s a central image of Christ seated on a throne, surrounded by angels, and a large panel that would have been placed on its left, showing 11 saints looking towards him. Two small rectangular panels from the predella have also been identified. One, most likely the central panel, shows Christ resurrected and standing upon his tomb; there’s a scene of him appearing to Saint Peter on the left while his appearance to Mary Magdalene is on the right. The right-hand panel shows him appearing to a group of disciples, among them Thomas, who doubted Christ’s resurrection from the dead.
Several clues within the picture suggest that it was made for the church of San Salvatore al Vescovo, the Bishop of Florence’s church, in the Palazzo Arcivescovile. Christ in the central panel is shown seated on a stool decorated with lions' heads, the symbol of papal – and episcopal – authority. Saint Peter, the first Bishop of Rome, features prominently in the front row wearing a bishop’s stole; he also is shown in the predella. This makes sense given Peter’s position, but also because Florence’s bishop from 1362 to 1369 – around the time this altarpiece was made – was Pietro Corsini.



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