Grotto landscape with John the Baptist

Within the oeuvre of the Flemish landscape painter Joos de Momper, the “grotto” theme is an extremely popular one, which was multi-faceted and often included Alpine motifs. The Berlin picture dates from the late 1620s and is one of the rare vertical formats. It presents a scene in close-up, embedded in natural rock formations and enlivened by a waterfall and romantic trees. The solitude, created by nature, shady and mysterious, in which John the Baptist sits by a spring with the lamb, drawing water with a baptismal cup, seems to draw in the viewer as a quiet and intimate friend. His only view of the world of men is afforded to him as if through a window in the picture. Through the rocky gate he can see a distant landscape with a castle, vaulted by light and a high sky. The composition draws a wonderful tension from this contrast of distance and proximity gloom in the foreground and brightness in the background. | Prestel Museum Guides - Gemäldegalerie Berlin, 2017