Manuscript Illumination with Scenes from the Life of Saint John the Baptist

Manuscript Illumination with Scenes from the Life of Saint John the Baptist

Master of James IV of Scotland (probably Gerard Horenbout)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This sophisticated image from a book of devotional prayers depicts John the Baptist seated in a landscape with his attribute, the lamb, and pointing to an open book. Scenes from the saint’s life surround the central image, beginning counterclockwise at upper left: the Baptism of Jesus, John the Baptist preaching, his imprisonment, the executioner placing his head on a platter, Herod’s feast, and the burning of John’s bones. The painter of this miniature created manuscripts for European royalty, including James IV, king of Scotland, and Queen Isabella of Spain. He may be identified as Gerard Horenbout, who became a master in the painters’ guild of Ghent in 1487.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Manuscript Illumination with Scenes from the Life of Saint John the BaptistManuscript Illumination with Scenes from the Life of Saint John the BaptistManuscript Illumination with Scenes from the Life of Saint John the BaptistManuscript Illumination with Scenes from the Life of Saint John the BaptistManuscript Illumination with Scenes from the Life of Saint John the Baptist

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.