Saint John the Baptist
c. 1513–1516 · Oil on walnut panel · Musée du Louvre, Paris
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About this work
- Artist
- Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)
- Year
- c. 1513–1516
- Medium
- Oil on walnut panel
- Original size
- 69 × 57 cm
- Collection
- Musée du Louvre, Paris
- Movement
- Renaissance
The Baptist emerges from darkness in half-length, smiling, one finger pointing upward to heaven and the other hand touching the cross of reeds at his breast, a camel skin over his shoulder. It is thought to be Leonardo's last painting, made between about 1513 and 1516 in Rome and France, and it was with him at Amboise when he died; Francis I acquired it and it passed through Charles I of England and Louis XIV back to the French royal collection and the Louvre. The spiralling pose and the deep sfumato, in which the figure seems to materialise out of the dark, carry the manner of the Mona Lisa to its extreme, and the androgynous smile has unsettled viewers for five centuries. The model may have been Salaì, Leonardo's companion.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
A smiling half-figure pointing upward out of total darkness, in warm flesh and shadow, a hushed painting for a study, hallway or bedroom at 24×36 in black. Charcoal, deep brown or olive walls suit it; pair it with Salvator Mundi.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Renaissance painting
- Era
- 16th century (c. 1513–1516)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- bedroom, hallway or entryway, study or library, living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; natural wood lightens it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Saint John the Baptist in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Saint John the Baptist painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
