Saint John the Baptist

This charming, refined picture of Saint John the Baptist was first recognised by Antonio Morassi as a youthful work by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (op. cit.). Morassi identified another oval, of matching dimensions, showing Saint Peter (fig. 1; Jacksonville, Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens) that was originally part of the same collection as the present picture, concluding that they likely formed part of a series, to which a Madonna, recorded in the Brass collection, Venice, may also belong. Morassi suggested a date of circa 1718-20 for Saint John, but it is possible that it may have been made slightly later. The Saint Peter in Jacksonville, in fact, is closely modelled on the saint’s profile in Piazzetta’s Martyrdom of Saint James, executed for San Stae in April 1722. The wistful, expressive gaze of Saint John displays the same psychological depth evident in other works of this period, such as the figures in the frescoes in Villa Baglioni in Massanzago (see A. Mariuz and G. Pavanello, ‘I Primi Affreschi di Giambattista Tiepolo’, Arte Veneta, 1985, pp. 101-113).