Circle Of Juan Martínez Montañés (1568–1649) - Infant Saint John The Baptist


Infant Saint John the Baptist
Circle of Juan Martínez Montañés (1568–1649)
Spain, 17th century
Polychromed wood
Height: 74 cm

This finely carved and polychromed wooden sculpture represents the young Saint John the Baptist seated naked upon a rocky base, his arms raised in a gesture that suggests benediction or prophetic speech. The child’s tender body is rendered with great naturalism—the rounded belly, small limbs, and softly modelled hands and feet evoking both innocence and vitality. His beautiful head, slightly tilted, is crowned with thick curls forming a peak at the forehead. The dark, curly hair, individually delineated, frames a serene and contemplative face marked by plump cheeks, small lips, and glass eyes that give a lifelike depth to the expression.

The artist has succeeded in producing a figure of touching sweetness, conceived to inspire devotion and affection in the faithful. The subtle colouring of the flesh tones, the delicate modelling, and the polished surface exemplify the sensibility of Seville’s sculptural school in the early Baroque period.

This rare and superbly executed representation of the Infant Saint John the Baptist shares striking affinities with the oeuvre of Juan Martínez Montañés, the celebrated Sevillian sculptor known as “el dios de la madera” (the god of wood). The diminutive nose, small mouth, glass eyes, and trapezoidal shape of the face correspond closely to Montañés’ models for the Christ Child and other infant saints. Such features, along with the meticulous treatment of eyelashes and hair, situate this sculpture within the circle of Montañés or among his immediate followers.

Bibliography:

• B. G. Proske, Juan Martínez Montañés: Sevillian Sculptor, New York, 1967, pp. 51–52, figs. 31–32, 159, 182.
• M. Estella Marcos, La escultura barroca de marfil en España, Madrid, 1984, pp. 19–21.
• J. Hernando Díaz, Juan Martínez Montañés (1568–1649), Seville, 1987.
• S. L. Stratton-Pruitt and J. L. Romero Torres, The Mystery of Faith: An Eye on Spanish Sculpture 1550–1750, exh. cat., Matthiesen Gallery and Coll & Cortes, London and Madrid, 2009.