St. John the Baptist in the Wilderness
Battista Franco
ca. 1552–54
Medium
Engraving and Etching. Second state
Dimensions
sheet: 7 3/8 x 11 1/4 in. (18.7 x 28.5 cm) trimmed to platemark
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1930
Accession Number
30.54.82
Tags
Saint John the BaptistCross
About the Artist
Battista Franco · 1510–1561
Battista Franco, known as il Semolei, was born in Venice around 1510, though his career unfolded largely in Rome and at the courts of central and northern Italy. He came to Rome in his twenties and immediately fell under two powerful spells: the inexhaustible riches of classical antiquity and the overwhelming presence of Michelangelo. Franco spent years making drawings after ancient sculptures and...