The Infant Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness
1664
oil
From the collection of National Galleries Scotland
1664
oil
From the collection of National Galleries Scotland
The painting depicts a young child, likely a toddler, sitting on a rock with a lamb beside them. The child is nude and has curly brown hair. They are holding a bowl in their right hand and gently petting the lamb with their left. The lamb is white and appears to be looking up at the child. In the background, there is a dark, rocky landscape with a cloudy sky. The overall atmosphere of the painting is one of innocence and tranquility. To learn more about the artist's use of chiaroscuro, a technique that uses strong contrasts between light and dark to create a sense of volume in modeling three-dimensional objects and figures, explore the works of Elisabetta Sirani.
