Caravaggio - John the Baptist 1610
John the Baptist 1610
154x129cm oil/canvas
Borghese Gallery, Rome, Italy
The image is only being used for informational and educational purposes
<< Previous G a l l e r y Next >>
The date of the John the Baptist in the Galleria Borghese is disputed: it was long thought to have been acquired by Cardinal Scipione Borghese some time between his own arrival in Rome in 1605 and Caravaggio's flight from the city in 1606, but Roberto Longhi dated it to the artist's Sicilian period (a date post-1608) on the basis of similarities in handling and colour. Lonhi's view has gained increasing acceptance, with a consensus in favour of 1610 emerging in recent years.