Bartolommeo di Giovanni
Italian (Florentine), active c. 1465­1501
Scenes from the Life of Saint John the Baptist
1490/95
Tempera on panel
74 x 150.4 cm
Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection, 1937.996

Several events that happened at different times appear in this complex painting. Inside the room is the birth of Saint John the Baptist. To the left, John is named by his father. Behind the rocky crag, the Holy Family returns from exile in Egypt following the death of King Herod. In front of the crag, Saint John greets the exiles.

These events take place in what appears to be a deep space, demonstrating the artist’s mastery of the new science of perspective, developed during the Renaissance.