The Birth and Naming of Saint John the Baptist
The Met
Artist: Sano di Pietro (Ansano di Pietro di Mencio)(Italian, Siena 1405–1481 Siena)
Date: 1450–60
Department: Robert Lehman Collection
Classification: Paintings
Medium: Tempera and gold on wood
Dimensions: Overall, with engaged (modern) frame: 9 5/8 × 18 7/8 in. (24.4 × 47.9 cm) painted surface: 8 1/8 × 16 7/8 in. (20.6 × 42.9 cm)
Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Visual Descriptions
AI GeneratedVisual Summary
Brief Description
Multi-scene painting of a woman in bed, men writing, and women with a swaddled baby
Detailed Description
This rectangular painting, set within a gold frame, depicts an interior scene with multiple figures. The composition is divided into two main sections by two white, fluted columns with gold capitals. On the left, a woman with a golden halo lies in a bed with a green blanket and a red headboard. She wears a blue garment with white stripes and a white head covering. Behind the bed, a white curtain with gold trim hangs. Below the bed, two men with halos are present. One, with a long white beard and a blue robe, sits on a wooden bench, actively writing on a scroll with a quill. The other man, also with a long white beard and a red robe, stands beside him, leaning in and gesturing towards the scroll. The right section features three women and a baby. A woman in a reddish-orange dress sits on the light pinkish-red floor, holding a swaddled baby with a golden halo. The baby is wrapped in white cloth. To her right, another woman in a green robe and white head covering kneels, holding a dark bowl. The background wall in this section is a plain reddish-orange on the left and a lighter greyish-blue on the right, with a dark, rectangular opening visible. At the bottom center of the painting, a small dark plaque with white text is affixed. The text reads: "S. GIOVANNI BATTISTA", "ZACCARIA SCRIVE", "IL NOME DEL FIGLIO".
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