Marcello Venusti (Mazzo di Valtellina 1510 - Rome 1579) workshop/circle Saint John the Baptist Oil on canvas (65 x 50 cm / Framed 74 x 58 cm) Full painting details (click HERE) The work portrays Saint John the Baptist in full figure in a moment of meditation in the desert, portrayed with sober elegance, sitting in his typical contemplative pose with his index finger pointed to the sky, while his gaze turns to the observer, and with one hand he holds the traditional cross staff, alluding to Christ's sacrifice on the cross. Characterized by a simplicity that exalts the spiritual purity of the subject, the Saint is enveloped in a simple bright red cloak, symbolizing the abandonment of material things and the connection with the divine dimension, while the environment that surrounds him, bare and arid, represents solitude and sacrifice, central elements in the saint's life. The depiction conveys a profound spirituality, typical of the iconographic canons required in the 16th century, and can be traced back to a painter still active in this century, or at least at the beginning of the next, close to Marcello Venusti (1510 - 1579), a painter of Lombard origin but active for most of his prolific career in Rome, whose workshop was commissioned with numerous works of a similar subject. Venusti arrived in the Eternal City around 1545, thanks to the support of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, and worked first on the construction sites of Perin del Vaga in Castel Sant'Angelo and later alongside Michelangelo in the Pauline Chapel in the Vatican. The work is a version made for domestic devotion and therefore of reduced proportions, of the altarpiece commissioned to Marcello Venusti for the church of Santa Caterina dei Funari in Rome. LINK: https://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/16863/ SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Good state of preservation, complete with gilded frame (not contemporary with the painting). The work is sold complete with a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet. We take care of and organize the transport of purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. It is also possible to see the painting in the gallery in Riva del Garda, we will be happy to welcome you to show you our collection of works. In case of purchase of the work by non-Italian customers, it will be necessary to obtain an export permit which takes about 15/20 days, our gallery will take care of the entire phase up to obtaining it. All costs of this operation are included. Contact us, without obligation, for any additional information. Follow us also on: INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/galleriacastelbarco/?hl=it FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/galleriacastelbarco/