Saint John the Baptist

This painting and the nearby panel of Saint James were once fractions of a large cathedral altarpiece. Here, the camel hair tunic and the reed cross identify this figure as John the Baptist. John’s right hand originally gestured toward an image of the Christ child on another panel, while his left holds a scroll in Latin that reads, “Behold the lamb of God…” in reference to the Crucifixion. A leading painter in Siena, Taddeo di Bartolo ran a large and efficient workshop that took commissions locally and across central Italy. His process and reputation allowed him to work on this monumental scale.