Artwork

Roundel with Saint John the Baptist

Roundel with Saint John the Baptist is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1520 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work is a small round painting depicting a bearded figure in a yellow robe, holding a child.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The work belongs to the genre of religious art, consistent with its creation in 1520, a period when devotional imagery flourished in Northern European art.

The roundel depicts Saint John the Baptist, the central figure in this religious painting. The work belongs to the genre of religious art, consistent with its creation in 1520, a period when devotional imagery flourished in Northern European art. As a roundel, a circular format often used for intimate devotional objects, the composition would have focused the viewer's contemplation on the saint.

Saint John the Baptist, the precursor to Christ, was a popular subject in early sixteenth-century art, typically recognized by his attributes of asceticism and his role as baptizer. The Pseudo-Ortkens style, to which this work is attributed, represents a manner of painting associated with the broader Netherlandish tradition.

Technique & Style

The Roundel with Saint John the Baptist is a painting created circa 1520, attributed to the Style of the Pseudo-Ortkens. As a religious work, the piece is classified as a painting and depicts the figure of John the Baptist. The artwork is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Specific details regarding the exact materials, support dimensions, surface handling, or current physical condition are not provided in the available sources.

History & Provenance

Created circa 1520, this religious painting depicts John the Baptist and is attributed to the Style of the Pseudo-Ortkens. The roundel is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is catalogued under the accession number 2005.179. While its specific commissioning circumstances and earlier ownership history are not detailed in the available records, its creation is firmly established in the early sixteenth century.

Context

The roundel depicting Saint John the Baptist, attributed to the workshop of the Pseudo-Ortkens and dated to around 1520, reflects the devotional painting practices of early sixteenth-century Netherlandish art. Its inclusion in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection underscores its significance as a representative example of devotional imagery from this tradition.

Overview

The work is a small round painting depicting a bearded figure in a yellow robe, holding a child. Both figures are marked by golden halos, and the child gazes toward the adult. They stand before a rocky landscape populated with trees and bushes, rendered in darker tones that contrast with the illuminated foreground.