1865
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Copy after the Preaching of St. John the Baptist, Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Tornabuoni Chapel, Santa Maria Novella (Florence) is a 1865 watercolor by Domenico Ghirlandaio, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows a group of people outdoors, listening to a man in a red robe who’s preaching. Behind him, another figure in blue stands on a rocky hill. The crowd is mixed—some sit, some stand—and they look focused on the speaker. In the distance, a town and ships appear on a calm waterfront, with a cross on a pole near the center. The artist copied an older fresco, but this watercolor version keeps the same busy scene. Notice how the light hits the figures’ faces differently, making some look brighter than others. Look up chiaroscuro next to see how artists use light and shadow like this.
A watercolour depicts Saint John the Baptist addressing a crowd from a rocky outcrop, while figures gather around him. In the background, Christ stands on a hill wearing a blue and green robe, observing the scene. The work is a 19th-century copy by Cesare Mariannecci, commissioned by the Arundel Society and later reproduced as a chromolithograph in 1867. It was acquired by the National Gallery of London in 1995.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Domenico di Tommaso Curradi di Doffo Bigordi (2 June 1448 – 11 January 1494), professionally known as Domenico Ghirlandaio (also spelt as Ghirlandajo), was an Italian Renaissance painter born in Florence.
See the richer artist page
