Bust of a Youth (Saint John the Baptist)
1630/40
Medium
Marble on variegated black marble socle
Dimensions
40.5 × 33 × 29 cm (15 7/8 × 13 × 11 3/8 in.)
Classification
bust/head
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
73413
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This work might appear to be a portrait, but the costume and expression indicate that it represents a mythological or biblical figure. The young man is shown in the act of speaking, his mouth open as if caught mid-sentence. This detail suggests that the figure is likely Saint John the Baptist; one of his roles was that of a preacher who foretold the coming of Jesus Christ. The dramatic turn of the youth’s head suggests that he is addressing an unseen conversant, a dynamic and inventive means of ...