The Young Saint John the Baptist

c. 1460

Anonymous Artist

Sculptor

The head and shoulders of a young boy have been carved from white marble in this freestanding sculpture. In this photograph, the boy’s shoulders are square to us, and he turns his head to look off to our left. His wavy hair comes low on his forehead and curls along the back of his neck. He has slightly raised brows, and the irises of his eyes are lightly carved so the boy appears to look up under heavy lids. He has an oval face with smooth cheeks, a delicate nose, and his lips are closed. He wears a garment that appears to be fur under a more voluminous robe, which drapes over one shoulder and wraps around the chest. The sculpture ends in a straight, blunt line below the shoulders, and it sits on a stepped, white marble base. The background is pale gray.

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On View

West Building Main Floor, Gallery 6

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    marble

  • Credit Line

    Widener Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 39.7 x 33.6 x 17.8 cm (15 5/8 x 13 1/4 x 7 in.)

  • Accession

    1942.9.142

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Martelli family, Florence; sold 28 June 1916 through (Giuseppe Salvadori, Florence) and (French & Company, New York) to Joseph E. Widener; inheritance from Estate of Peter A.B. Widener by gift through power of appointment of Joseph E. Widener, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, after purchase by funds of Joseph E. Widener;[1] gift 1942 to NGA.
[1] Acquisition date and source according to Widener card file and 1914 and 1916 letters from Salvadori and French & Company to Joseph Widener, in NGA curatorial files.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1904

  • Schottmüller, Frida. Donatello, ein Beitrag zum Verständnis seiner künstlerischen Tat. Munich, 1904: 124.

1916

  • Sirén, Osvald. "Two Florentine Sculptures Sold to America." The Burlington Magazine 29, no. 161 (August 1961): 197-199, pl. C.

  • Marquand, Allan. "The Martelli David and the Youthful St. John Baptist." Art in America 4, no. 6 (October 1916): 358-366, fig. 2.

1942

  • Works of Art from the Widener Collection. Foreword by David Finley and John Walker. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1942: 9, as by Antonio Rossellino.

1948

  • Paintings and Sculpture from the Widener Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1948 (reprinted 1959): 119, repro., as by Antonio Rossellino.

1965

  • Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 170, as by Antonio Rossellino.

1968

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 150, repro., as by Antonio Rossellino.

1994

  • Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994: 211, repro., as by Antonio Rossellino.

2007

  • Desiderio da Settignano: Sculptor of Renaissance Florence. Exh. cat. Musée du Louvre, Paris; Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Milan, 2007: 140, fig. 92.

  • Pisani, Linda. "San Giovannino Battista nei busti del Rinascimento Florentino." In Jeanette Kohl and Rebecca Müller, eds. Kopf/Bild: Die Büste in Mittelalter und Frïher Neuzeit. (I Mandorli 6) Munich and Berlin, 2007: 231, no. 136.

2008

  • Pfisterer, Ulrich. Lysippus und seine Freunde: Liebesgaben und Gedächtnis im Rom der Renaissance, oder, Das erste Jahrhundert der Medaille. Berlin, 2008: 355, fig. 154, as by Desiderio da Settignano.

Wikidata ID

Q63809420

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