Saint John the Baptist

A painting from the end of Leonardo da Vinci's life, retouched many times, the Saint John the Baptist, created between 1513 and 1516, is one of the artist's masterpieces.

An invitation to devotion
The painting is an invitation to devotion. Indeed, the palette is limited to black and ochre and the choice of representing a single figure leads the viewer to concentrate on the essential. Thus, the figure of Saint John the Baptist stands out against the dark background of the painting.

The Saint stares at those who look at him, and raises his index finger to point to the sky in a gesture of invitation to adoration. His index finger is pointed towards the cross, which refers to the function of Prophet of Saint John the Baptist, charged with announcing the future Passion of the crucified Christ.

Bacchus or Saint John?
If the title of the work and the Cross held by the character suggest that it is Saint John the Baptist, prophet and cousin of Jesus, some elements cast doubt on the real identity of the character.

Indeed, he is wearing a beast's skin, which corresponds to the traditional iconography of St John the Baptist, who lives as a hermit in the desert. However, the animal skin is also one of the attributes of the god Bacchus, the pagan god of celebration and drunkenness.

Moreover, the mocking smile of the character and his bare chest lead us to believe that the character represented is none other than Bacchus.

An androgynous character
The indeterminacy of the character's identity extends to his ambiguous beauty. Indeed, Leonardo da Vinci depicts Saint John the Baptist with long, curly red hair, fine features, and physical characteristics that oscillate between feminine and masculine.

The features of Saint John the Baptist are those of one of Leonardo's disciples, Salai. To learn more about him, listen to the audio guide!

The androgyny of St. John the Baptist has been interpreted in the light of neo-Christian philosophy: he embodies the new Adam, in whom female and male natures coexist, before the creation of the first woman, Eve, born on one side.