Johannn Wilhelm Baur St John the Baptist preaching Gouache on vellum PROVENANCE This charming painting is a fine example of Baur's narrative skill and his precise technique. St. John the Baptist, identifiable by his hairscloth and staff, preaches to a multitude of finely dressed men seated on straggling rocks and scattered ruins. Baur's early life was passed in Strasbourg, where he was the pupil of Friedrich Brentel. In or around 1630 Baur travelled to Italy, settling first in Naples and then, in 1633, in Rome. Here he enjoyed the patronage of the Prince Orsini, a famous patron of Northern artists such as Paul Brill and Bartolomaus Breenbergh. Baur made numerous etchings that bear dedications to the Prince and his family, as well as sets of drawings and miniatures. He returned to Vienna in 1637 and remained there until his premature death in 1641. Our miniature shows St John the Baptist preaching in a rocky landscape of distinctly European appearance. It is not unlikely that this miniature was executed after one of his Alpine crossings in the 1630s. |
|
