John the Baptist being carried to Zacharias
Francesco Granacci·c. 1510
Historical Context
Francesco Granacci's scene of John the Baptist being carried to Zacharias, painted around 1510, depicts an episode from the Baptist's infancy narrative in the Gospel of Luke. Granacci, a Florentine painter trained in Ghirlandaio's workshop alongside Michelangelo, specialized in narrative scenes with elegant figures in architectural settings. His works show the influence of both his master's narrative clarity and the classical grace of Raphael and Fra Bartolomeo.
Technical Analysis
The mixed technique of tempera and oil with gold on wood creates a luminous, richly colored surface. Granacci's graceful figural proportions and carefully constructed perspective demonstrate his classical training, while the gold accents preserve a connection to earlier devotional painting traditions.
Provenance
Marchese Giovanni Gerini, Palazzo Gerini, Florence, Italy, sold to Reverend John Sanford; Reverend John Sanford [1777-1855], Florence, Italy and London, United Kingdom purchased from Marchese Gerini between 1830 and 1837;; Lord Frederick Paul Methuen [1818-1891] (married John Sanford's daughter, Anna Horatia Caroline Sanford [1824-1899], by inheritance to the Methuen Family, Corsham Court, Chippenham, England; (Christies, London, England, sale May 13, 1899, no. 85); Mrs. Murray Guthrie [1872-1945] (sale: Christie's, London, March 11, 1911, no. 25, sold to S.W. Partridge); (Partridge and Co., London, England, sold to Duveen Brothers); (Duveen Brothers, 1917); Mrs. Francis F. Prentiss [1865-1944], Cleveland, OH, The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Collection.; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
See It In Person
More by Francesco Granacci (Francesco di Andrea di Marco)
Scenes from the Life of Saint John the Baptist
Francesco Granacci (Francesco di Andrea di Marco)·ca. 1506–7
Saint John the Baptist Bearing Witness
Francesco Granacci·ca. 1506–7
_-_Saint_Jerome_in_the_Desert_-_E.371-2006_-_Victoria_and_Albert_Museum.jpg&width=400)
St Jerome in the desert
Francesco Granacci·ca. 1490
Rest on the Flight into Egypt with the Infant Saint John the Baptist
Francesco Granacci·1494
