Seated John the Baptist with a Lamb in a Landscape
1787–1871
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and pale brown wash
Dimensions
5-7/8 x 7-5/16 in. (15 x 18.5 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. David T. Schiff Gift, 1979
Accession Number
1979.480.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the intimate drawing *Seated John the Baptist a Lamb in a Landscape Tommaso Minardi captures a serene moment of devotion. Created between 1787 and 1871, this small-scale work (just 5-7/8 x 7-5/16 inches) depicts the biblical saint seated in a lush, flower-strewn landscape, cradling the symbolic lamb—representing the "Lamb of God" or Agnus Dei, a nod to Christ's sacrifice. Minardi, a prominent Italian artist of the Purist movement, inspiration from Renaissance masters like Raphael, blending neoclassical purity with spiritual introspection during Italy's Romantic era. Rendered in pen and bro...