Artwork
El Niño Jesús y San Juan
El Niño Jesús y San Juan is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Juan Antonio de Frías y Escalante. It dates from 1668 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work shows a young Christ holding a globe while accompanied by his cousin John the Baptist, a pairing that emphasizes Christ’s role as Savior and John’s prophetic office within Spanish Baroque devotional painting. The basketry and orb function as symbolic attributes, the orb representing the world and the basket evoking humility and the Eucharistic offering, together reinforcing themes of divine authority and spiritual preparation. Created in 1668 by Juan Antonio de Frías y Escalante for the Museo del Prado, the composition reflects Counter‑Reformation ideals of clear narrative clarity and heightened emotional resonance.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil paint on canvas, a common support for Spanish Baroque religious paintings of the period. The surface shows typical handling marks of its age, and the formal treatment emphasizes chiaroscuro and intimate devotional gestures within the composition.
History & Provenance
Created in 1668 by the Spanish artist Juan Antonio de Frías y Escalante, this religious oil painting on canvas depicts the Child Jesus and Saint John.
Created in 1668 by the Spanish artist Juan Antonio de Frías y Escalante, this religious oil painting on canvas depicts the Child Jesus and Saint John. The work measures 46 cm in height and 122 cm in width, featuring iconographic elements such as an orb and basketry. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid, where it remains part of the institution's holdings.
No specific details regarding the original commission, earlier ownership history, or the chain of custody prior to its arrival at the museum are provided in the available records.
El Niño Jesús y San Juan is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado, as recorded in its Wikidata entry.
The painting has no documented exhibition history in the provided sources. No inventory or accession number is supplied.
Overview
Juan Antonio de Frías y Escalante, a Spanish painter born in Córdoba in 1633, completed the oil work El Niño Jesús y San Juan in 1668. Executed during the height of the Spanish Baroque, the canvas is now part of the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid. The composition centers on two infant figures and a lamb, rendered with the dramatic contrast characteristic of the period.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Juan Antonio de Frías y Escalante
Juan Antonio de Frías y Escalante (1633 in Cordoba–1669 in Madrid) was a Spanish Baroque Golden Age painter.
- The Infant Saint John the Baptist with the Lamb
Saint John the Baptist with the Lamb
Young St. John
The Infant Saint John Playing with a Lamb
Child Jesus and St. John the Baptist
Madonna and Child and the Infant Saint John in a Landscape
Christos și Ioan Botezătorul cu mielul
Cupids at play
Jacob’s Journey
The Cherub Harvesters
The Virgin and Child with Saints Elizabeth and John
Cupids in Conspiracy