The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Saint John the Baptist

Saint John the Baptist

c. 1475–85

circle of Dieric Bouts

(Netherlandish, 1415–1475)
Netherlands, Leuven, 15th century
oil on wood (grisaille)
Framed: 126.1 x 88.3 x 7.6 cm (49 5/8 x 34 3/4 x 3 in.); Unframed: 102.8 x 65.5 cm (40 1/2 x 25 13/16 in.)
Gift of the Hanna Fund 1951.354
Location: 112 Northern Renaissance

Did You Know?

Paintings like this one that are designed to trick the eye are known as trompe-l'œil.

Description

This panel once formed part of an altarpiece painted for the Church of Saint Laurentius in Cologne. It originally comprised the reverse of the arrest of Christ, now in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. Another grisaille panel representing Saint John the Evangelist, also in Munich, formed the exterior of the resurrection. The grisaille technique was a monochromatic method utilizing various shades of gray, often in imitation of sculpture, as is the case here. The illusionistic effect suggests a sculpture not set back in a niche, but clearly separated from it to enhance the three-dimensional appearance. Dieric Bouts was born in Haarlem in Holland, but was mainly active in Leuven in the South Netherlands where he was the city painter from 1468. This painting appears to be the work of a close follower.
  • St. Lorenzkirche, Cologne (until 1818); Fochem coll., Cologne (1822, when the altar was divided); H. W. Campe, Cologne (Leipzig sale 1827); Duke of Anhalt-Dessau, Schloss Wörlitz and Dessau (1864, 1925); (Goudstikker, Amsterdam, 1928); Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza, Lugano (1930, sold 1948)
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 437 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 70 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 70 archive.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Catalogue of Paintings. Pt. 1. European Paintings before 1500. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1974. Reproduced: fig. 51, p. 142 - 145
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 79 archive.org
    Paintings in the Cleveland Museum of Art: Picture Book No. 4 . [Cleveland]: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1952. Reproduced: p. 20 archive.org
  • Conserving the Past for the Future. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 4-May 6, 2001).
    Art and Humanism in the Renaissance. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 23-February 25, 1962).
    In Memoriam: Leonard C. Hanna, Jr.. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 4-April 7, 1958).
  • {{cite web|title=Saint John the Baptist|url=false|author=Dieric Bouts|year=c. 1475–85|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1951.354