Copy of Saint John the Baptist as a Boy by Raphael

This painting is a 16th-century copy of the original Saint John the Baptist in the Desert by Raphael, kept at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

Pope Clement XII bought it for 1,000 scudi (currency of the time), believing it to be the work of Raphael.

The young Saint John is enveloped in a leopard skin and is shown sitting on a rock.

It is bathed in intense light, which breaks the obscurity of the cave.

There is a spring of crystal water emerging inside the cave, a symbol of Christ's purity and of the River Jordan, and the prelude to the activity of John the Baptist.

The rural backdrop, which is barely visible, alludes to his living as a hermit.

His right hand points to the cross, foreshadowing the destiny of Christ.

In his left hand, he is holding a scroll, on which the words Ecce agnus Dei (Behold the Lamb of God) can be seen.

In view of its excellent quality, the painting was attributed to Guilio Romano at the end of the 18th century.

It is one of the few that originate from the Papal collections.

Before being purchased by Pope Clement XII, the painting, which is oil on canvas, came from the College of the Maronites, who perhaps acquired it as an inheritance from Cardinal Antonio Carafa, who died in 1591.