Saint John the Baptist

John the Baptist, patron saint of Florence, was a popular subject in the city. Busts of the saint as a boy were widespread, but almost unheard of elsewhere. Benedetto da Rovezzano, a pupil and collaborator of Michelangelo’s, produced a number of terra-cotta sculptures of the saint. This adolescent’s idealized face, with a narrow, straight nose and lively, layered hair, embodies the ideal of male youths found in Florentine Renaissance art. Sculptures of the young Baptist and Christ child were common features in Florentine homes, offering models of virtue for children of the household.

The artist later worked for the royal courts of France and England and was instrumental in spreading the Renaissance style beyond Italy.