Painting of Saint John the Baptist in animal skin with a cross-topped staff, raised arm, and a lamb at his feet against a.

Saint John the Baptist Preaching

A bearded, muscular man in a rough animal-skin cloak and pale red drape raises one arm toward the dark rocks above while holding a tall staff. A cross-topped banner rises behind him, and a lamb rests in the lower right against a stormy sunset sky. Strong chiaroscuro lights the figure, set in a rocky, wild landscape.

Look closer: A small cross-topped banner or scroll with lettering flutters behind the figure's head.

Artist: Mattia Preti (Il Cavalier Calabrese)
Date: ca. 1650
Medium: Oil on canvas
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Size: 2760 × 3838 px

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Public domain · The Metropolitan Museum of Art releases this image under CC0 (latest date 1655).
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (The Met Open Access, isPublicDomain=true)

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Melissa O. Aronson, in memory of Thomas P. Miller, 2005

17th century baroque painting chiaroscuro oil on canvas rocky landscape saint john the baptist biblical subject lamb dramatic sky