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Study for the Figure of the Infant Saint John the Baptist

Fra Bartolomeoabout 1509

The J. Paul Getty Museum

The J. Paul Getty Museum
Los Angeles, United States

As evidenced by the chalk grid, Fra Bartolommeo was well along in the design of his composition for the Getty Museum's painting, The Rest on the Flight into Egypt with St. John the Baptist, by the time he made this drawing. He had squared this sheet for enlargement onto the cartoon, the final stage before beginning to paint, which incorporated all the elements of pose, movement, and lighting.

In this study, Fra Bartolommeo settled on the lighting, choosing to illuminate the infant from the rear while leaving the front of his body in shadow, is just as in the later painting. Saint John the Baptist's stiff, forward-leaning posture was an important part of the painting's pyramid of figures, a typical High Renaissance arrangement that contributed greatly to the drawing's sense of calm stability.

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  • Title: Study for the Figure of the Infant Saint John the Baptist
  • Creator: Fra Bartolommeo (Baccio della Porta)
  • Date Created: about 1509
  • Physical Dimensions: 23.5 × 11.1 cm (9 1/4 × 4 3/8 in.)
  • Type: Drawing
  • External Link: Find out more about this object on the Museum website.
  • Medium: Black and white chalk on buff-colored paper; squared in black chalk for transfer
  • Terms of Use: Open Content
  • Number: 97.GB.7
  • Culture: Italian
  • Credit Line: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
  • Creator Display Name: Fra Bartolommeo (Baccio della Porta) (Italian, 1472 - 1517)
  • Classification: Drawings (Visual Works)
The J. Paul Getty Museum

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