Flanders, Bruges / c. 1445
Saint John the Baptist in a Landscape
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Saint John the Baptist in a Landscape as painting (Flanders, Bruges · c. 1445).
In the background is the Blacksmith's Gate, originally built in 1297, which still stands in the city Bruges, although it has been rebuilt multiple times over the centuries.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on panel and credits Petrus Christus (Netherlandish, c. 1410–1475/76).
The museum's collection notes: The overall style of this painting suggests that it was painted by an artist closely associated with the Netherlandish painter Jan van Eyck. The facial structure of the saint as well as the artist’s treatment of his cloak are typical of van Eyck’s follower, Petrus Christus. Christus was active in the city of Bruges and was a probable pupil and successor to Jan van Eyck, with whom his paintings have often been confused. Here, Christus depicts John the Baptist as an isolated, monumental figure without his typical hairshirt or other references to his life. This approach is derived from Claus Sluter’s monumental image of Saint John from the porta
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtSaint John the Baptist in a LandscapeOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.