Plaque with Saint John the Baptist Preaching

Description In a wilderness, depicted as a forest, John the Baptist preaches repentance in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah. Jews, depicted with hats and turbans, Roman soldiers, and women with small children have gathered to listen to his preaching. By letting heads from the crowd stick up from below, the artist has created an illusion of space continuing into the viewer's room. The edges indicate that this plaque was intended to be inserted into a cabinet or casket.

Exhibitions

• Uncertain Times: Martin Luther's Remedies for the Soul. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2017.

Provenance Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters