Saint John the Baptist
- Date
- c.1570
- Material
- Oil on panel
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- European Art to 1800
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- by sight (in frame): 26 3/16 x 21 1/2 in. (66.5 x 54.6 cm)
- Credit Line
- Bequest of Mary Plant Faust
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 12:2006
NOTES
John the Baptist, a saint in the Christian church, gingerly holds a thin cross while he points heavenward, a reference to his role in announcing the arrival of Jesus on earth. John was a fiery orator who preached repentance in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. To get ready for his own mission, John lived in the desert and wore a camel-hair garment. Michele Tosini honored this tradition by depicting the saint in a magnificent animal skin. Tosini added a red drape to add a rich chromatic effect rather than to achieve costume accuracy. The artist’s attention to the well-developed musculature of John’s arm and shoulder as well as the saint’s contrived pose reflect 16th-century interest in the flamboyant display of artistic ability.
Provenance
John Levy Galleries, New York, NY, USA
by 1921 - 1996
Edward A. Faust (1869-1936) and Anna Busch Faust (b.1875); Leicester Busch Faust (1897-1979) and Audrey Faust Wallace (1902-1991), St. Louis, MO, by gift; Mary Plant Faust (1900-1996), St. Louis, MO, by inheritance [1]
1997 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Mary Plant Faust [2]
Notes:
[1] The painting was in the Faust's collection by 1921 as indicated by a Museum list featuring works the Fausts agreed to lend to the Museum for exhibition beginning in December of that same year [typewritten list titled, "Old Masters and Decorative Arts from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Edward A. Faust on Indefinite Loan," SLAM document files]. An undated receipt from the Estate of Mary Plant Faust elaborates upon the Faust's acquisition and states that the painting was from "John Levy Galleries, March 3, 1921" and then was "Given to L. Busch Faust and Audrey Faust Wallace in 1921" [SLAM document files]. L. Busch Faust is Leicester Busch Faust, older brother to Audrey Faust Wallace. A handwritten label on the verso of the painting indicates that Leicester and Audrey acquired the work in 1920 (rather than 1921). There could be a number of reasons for this discrepancy and even though the exact date of Leicester and Audrey's ownership remains unclear, the label and undated receipt confirms that the painting was in the Faust's collection by 1921. Although some of the writing on the label is blurred, the legible letters suggest that Anna Busch Faust, Leicester and Audrey's mother, may have given the painting to her children. The painting was later inherited by Leicester's wife, Mary Plant Faust, upon his death in 1979.
[2] Although the painting was acquired by the Museum in 1997, it was not accessioned into the permanent collection until 2006. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, February 27, 1997 and February 21, 2006; and the Minutes of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, April 11, 2006.
by 1921 - 1996
Edward A. Faust (1869-1936) and Anna Busch Faust (b.1875); Leicester Busch Faust (1897-1979) and Audrey Faust Wallace (1902-1991), St. Louis, MO, by gift; Mary Plant Faust (1900-1996), St. Louis, MO, by inheritance [1]
1997 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Mary Plant Faust [2]
Notes:
[1] The painting was in the Faust's collection by 1921 as indicated by a Museum list featuring works the Fausts agreed to lend to the Museum for exhibition beginning in December of that same year [typewritten list titled, "Old Masters and Decorative Arts from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Edward A. Faust on Indefinite Loan," SLAM document files]. An undated receipt from the Estate of Mary Plant Faust elaborates upon the Faust's acquisition and states that the painting was from "John Levy Galleries, March 3, 1921" and then was "Given to L. Busch Faust and Audrey Faust Wallace in 1921" [SLAM document files]. L. Busch Faust is Leicester Busch Faust, older brother to Audrey Faust Wallace. A handwritten label on the verso of the painting indicates that Leicester and Audrey acquired the work in 1920 (rather than 1921). There could be a number of reasons for this discrepancy and even though the exact date of Leicester and Audrey's ownership remains unclear, the label and undated receipt confirms that the painting was in the Faust's collection by 1921. Although some of the writing on the label is blurred, the legible letters suggest that Anna Busch Faust, Leicester and Audrey's mother, may have given the painting to her children. The painting was later inherited by Leicester's wife, Mary Plant Faust, upon his death in 1979.
[2] Although the painting was acquired by the Museum in 1997, it was not accessioned into the permanent collection until 2006. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, February 27, 1997 and February 21, 2006; and the Minutes of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, April 11, 2006.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.