Saint John the Baptist
Artist: Hans Memling (Dutch, Active 1465, died 1494)
Original Dimensions: 28" x 12"
Location: National Gallery of Art, London
About Artwork: (About 1478) "Saint John the Baptist stands in a kind of loggia (an open-sided gallery or room) with a tiled floor, wearing a hair shirt and holding his emblem, the lamb. This is the left wing of The Donne Triptych, painted by Hans Memling for the Welsh nobleman and diplomat Sir John Donne, probably in the late 1470s. Memling ran a busy and efficient workshop and was renowned for reusing figures in different paintings. This Saint John is almost identical to the figure in Saint John the Baptist, also in the National Gallery’s collection. Only the setting has been substantially changed. On the back of the panel, visible when the altarpiece was closed, Saint Christopher with the Christ Child on his shoulders is painted in grisaille (shades of black, white and grey) to look like a stone statue in a niche. Christopher was a hugely popular saint: he was the patron of travellers and also a protector against sudden death." - (National Gallery of Art, London)

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