A man sits next to a tree, pointing at another man in the background.
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

A light-skinned man sits on a rock facing left, his face turned toward the viewer. He has curly reddish hair, pink cheeks, and defined muscles. Pink fabric is draped over his right shoulder, and he holds a golden cross on a staff. At the man’s feet is a gray sheep. The man points his right hand toward a figure in the background with light skin and blue robes. Behind the figure is a distant, blue-toned mountain and blue sky with clouds. The grassy valley where the two men stand is lush, with several shrubs and a tree.

Gallery Text

Carlo Maratti was one of the most prominent and prolific painters working in the classical tradition in seventeenth-century Rome. Here, he illustrates the scene from the Gospel of John in which John the Baptist identifies the new prophet. The subject offered artists the opportunity to depict the verdant, idealized landscape that is the customary setting for this biblical event. Landscapes appealed to collectors, and a relatively small picture, such as this one, could be executed without a patron and exhibited by the artist for sale. This painting remains in its original frame. Its symmetry, simplicity, and classical lines made this an especially popular type in Rome from about 1680 to 1750. The artist used it so frequently that it was later called a “Maratti frame.”

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1999.250
People
Carlo Maratti, Italian (Camerano, Italy 1625 - 1713 Rome, Italy)
Title
Saint John the Baptist Pointing to Christ in a Landscape
Classification
Paintings
Work Type
painting
Date
c. 1656
Culture
Italian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/188798

Location

Location
Level 2, Room 2400, European Art, 17th century, Rome and Its Influence in the Seventeenth Century
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Physical Descriptions

Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
68 x 50 cm (26 3/4 x 19 11/16 in.)
frame: 90.4 x 72 cm (35 9/16 x 28 3/8 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Darcy Bradbury, '78, MBA '82; Edward A. Friedman, JD '74, and Karen S.W. Friedman; Timothy G. Massad, '78, JD '84; Eric Seiler '78, AM, '82, JD '82; and Neil Westreich, JD '77
Accession Year
1999
Object Number
1999.250
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 2400 French/Italian/Spanish, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu