French, Burgundy, second half 14th century

with Edouard Bresset Antiquaires, Paris, 1986

Considering the age of the sculpture, the condition is broadly good with dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is evidence of worming throughout, particularly to the back of the base and behind the shoulders. There is stable splitting consistent with material, including a split running down the centre of the figure at the front. There is a hole to the back and a filled hole to the top of the head. There are some small losses to the head and beard. There are possible restorations to the proper right hand. There is a metal hook to the reverse.
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In French fourteenth-century sculpture Saint John the Baptist takes a central position. He was theologically of the utmost importance as the bridge between the Old and the New Testaments and as the messenger of Christ. Most statues are derived from the physical description of the Saint by Matthew (3:14) whilst the forward stride and hand gesture towards the lamb seem to represent a specific moment from the Gospel of John: ”The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

Statues that compare to the present figure therefore appear throughout France: on the North tower of Amiens Cathedral, in the Church of Rouvres-en-Plaine (Côte-d’Or), and the Musée des Augustins in Toulouse. (Boccador, op.cit., figs. 23 and 30; Sculptures gothiques, op.cit., pp. 32-33). Traits from the omnipresent International Gothic style –which include the frontal composition, softly undulating folds down the front, and cascades counterbalancing the contrapposto on one side- unite these sculptures. The remarkable thinness and intricacy of the drapery, elongated head, finely incised eye-lids, and lush curls consisting of juxtaposed crescent shapes, however, suggests it originated in Burgundy. See particularly a slightly earlier standing Virgin and an enthroned Virgin and Child on display in the Musée du Louvre (inv. nos. RF 1390 and RF 1486). A third Burgundian statue in the Louvre, a St. John the Baptist from the second half of the fifteenth century, illustrates the longevity of the composition in the region.

RELATED LITERATURE
J. Boccador, Statuaire médiévale en France de 1400 à 1530, Zoug, 1974, vol. I, pp. 37 and 43, figs. 23 and 30; M.P. Chaumet, Guide des Collections 3. Sculptures gothiques (XIIIe-XVe siècles), cat. Musée des Augustins, Toulouse, 1998, pp. 32-33