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St. John the Baptist

Master of the Harburger Altarabout 1515

The J. Paul Getty Museum

The J. Paul Getty Museum
Los Angeles, United States

Saint John the Baptist cradles the Holy Lamb, a symbol of the sacrificial Christ. The sculpture illustrates the saint's exclamation, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).

Glimpsed beneath his billowing mantle is a tattered shift of camel's skin, as described in the Bible. The camel's bearded head rests between the saint's feet. Originally the sculpture was one of two figures flanking a central figure of Christ or the Virgin and Child within a winged altarpiece. It has lost most of its original paint.

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  • Title: St. John the Baptist
  • Creator: Master of the Harburger Altar
  • Date Created: about 1515
  • Location Created: Germany
  • Physical Dimensions: 152.1 × 49 × 30 cm (59 7/8 × 19 5/16 × 11 13/16 in.)
  • Type: Sculpture
  • External Link: Find out more about this object on the Museum website.
  • Medium: Partially polychromed limewood
  • Terms of Use: Open Content
  • Number: 2012.1
  • Culture: German
  • Credit Line: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
  • Creator Display Name: Master of the Harburger Altar (German, active about 1500 - 1515)
  • Classification: Sculpture (Visual Works)
The J. Paul Getty Museum

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