Attributed to
Michele Desubleo
, Italian, 1602-1676
Title
Saint John the Baptist in the WildernessDate1650s
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
123 x 97 cm
Credit LinePurchased, 1864
Object numberNGI.71
Label TextAccompanied by a lamb, Saint John the Baptist is portrayed in the desert of Judea. According to the gospel of Matthew, he wore clothes made of camel hair, ate locusts and wild honey and said ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near’, foretelling the arrival of Christ. Michele Desubleo, who is also known as Michele Fiammingo (Flemish), was a Flemish painter who was active in Rome, Bologna, Venice, Milan and Parma during the mid-seventeenth century. Desubleo was a friend and student of Guido Reni and took over his workshop after the latter’s death.