Saint John the Baptist with Agnus Dei. Renaissance, Italian School

Saint John the Baptist with Agnus Dei
Renaissance, Italian School. 
Oil on panel, H 22.5 cm x W 15 cm

This small panel painting, datable to the Renaissance period, depicts Saint John the Baptist dressed in animal skin, the typical iconographic attribute that recalls his ascetic life in the desert.

The saint points to the Agnus Dei, the symbol of Christ, sitting beside him.

The iconography is characteristic of Christian tradition, with Saint John portrayed at the moment of his prophetic mission. The dark, wooded background, rendered with meticulous and naturalistic technique, creates a contrast with the luminous figure of the saint and the lamb.

The composition and reduced dimensions suggest that the work was the left panel of a triptych or a small portable altar, given the absence of an elaborate architectural frame typical of central panels.

On the right side of the panel, traces of a hinge are visible, which originally attached the panel to the central part of the work, confirming the hypothesis that the painting was part of a more complex and articulated structure.

On the back, there is the Christological monogram “IHS,” associated with Christian devotion and widely used in the late 15th and 16th centuries. Although later linked to the Jesuit Order, this symbol was already used earlier as an emblem of faith and salvation.

The work shows an ancient patina and signs of wear that do not alter the legibility of the scene.