Jan Janssens, Saint John the Baptist, Oil on Canvas, 17th Century, Framed

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Jan Janssens (Ghent, Belgium, 1590 - after 1650)
Title: Saint John the Baptist
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: without frame … Read more Jan Janssens (Ghent, Belgium, 1590 - after 1650)
Title: Saint John the Baptist
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: without frame 76 x 62 cm – with frame 97 x 83 x 6 cm
Not signed

Expertise by Gianni Papi, art historian

Jan Janssens (Ghent, Belgium, 1590 - after 1650) was a Flemish Baroque painter. He was part of an international movement of European artists, known as Caravaggisti, who were followers of the style of Caravaggio and interpreted his work. Janssens was the most important member of the Ghent Caravaggisti. His altarpieces and various works offered realistic representations of religious motifs. Unfortunately, there are no information about his training, we only know that he was in Rome between 1619 and 1620, and after that he was back in Ghent where he was admitted to the to the Ghent Guild of St. Luke as a master.
Half-length portrait of Saint John the Baptist, with his upper body half exposed, covered with fur and red cloth. with both hands he holds a white lamb as an attribute animal, which, like the saint himself, also makes eye contact with the viewer, which must be seen as extremely rare iconographically. Behind it on the left is the cross staff of the saint, this with a rotulus, inscribed ‘MAGNUS’ in capital letters. The figure in front of a dark background, with illuminated incarnation. The painting as a whole has a suggestive effect. See less