"Saint John the Baptist". Carved, gilded and polychromed wooden sculpture. Castilian School. Circa 1700.

"Saint John the Baptist". Carved, gilded and polychromed wooden sculpture. Castilian School. Circa 1700.
66 x 40 x 22,5 cm.
This polychromed wooden sculpture of Saint John the Baptist is remarkable for its beautiful physique and serene elegance. Its origin could be a Castilian workshop from around the year 1700 as the sweetly curved folds of his cloak suggest this period.
The Baptist is portrayed in a way that was popularised by the most important sculptor of the baroque Vallodolid School, Gregorio Fernández (1576-1636). Among his images of the Baptist, which were copied until the late 18th century, we can identify those present in the main altarpieces of the church of Santos Juanes in Nava del Rey (1612) and the Monastery of the Huelgas Reales in Valladolid (1613). However, our sculpture has certain details that differentiate it from Fernández’s model. The composition brings other images of the Baptist to mind due to the chiselling, such as Luis Salvador Carmona from Vallodolid (1708-1767) or the Asturian Juan Alonso Villabrille y Ron (ca.1663-1732), among others.
The sculpture looks very dynamic as the artist has placed the arms and legs in different directions and planes, and also because the left leg is placed a little forward, forming a gentle counterpose. The saint is standing. In his left hand he would have gripped a rod with the badge of the cross, but it has not been preserved, while with the right hand he points to the Lamb of God which plays at his feet. It is not at all common for the Agnus Dei to appear standing on its hind legs while its front legs play affectionately with the Precursor. It is more typical to see the Lamb on a book held in the Baptist’s hand or lying on a rock or a tree stump.
He is wearing the typical camel skin smock knotted to the right side leaving a small part of his torso, arms and legs on view, which allows the sculptor to do an interesting anatomical study in which even the veins of the hands, arms, neck, legs and feet stand out. A red cloak hangs from his left shoulder, edged with a narrow strip of stylised vegetation motif decoration which is brush-gilded and skirts his back, covering his right leg, to be fastened at the waist where it also cinches his smock.
The head displays great quality as it has been worked meticulously which can also be appreciated in details such as the individualisation of the locks of the beard or the wet and asymmetrical locks that make up his head of hair. The polychromer has painted a series of small bunches in the hair and beard to augment these even more.
The noble face is clear and natural looking. Also, the eyes and the half-open mouth, which exposes the teeth, have been delineated with great care. The piece is outstanding for its remarkable realism and is in an excellent state of preservation.
We would like to thank Javier Baladrón, doctor in History of Art, for identifying and cataloguing this piece.