Head of St. John the Baptist
Technical Details
-
Title
Head of St. John the Baptist -
Author
Giovan Francesco Maineri -
Year
1502 -
Dimensions
cm 44 x 30 -
Inventory
5503 -
Room
XX
This small picture is likely to be of fairly illustrious origin as it was commissioned by Ercole I d’Este for Suor Lucia da Narni in 1502. The saint’s delicate head has an almost Flemish sheen to it, while the meticulous anatomical depiction of his severed neck has prompted the suggestion that the artist, who was born in Parma but worked in Ferrara, may have been familiar with the anatomical studies of Leonardo da Vinci.
