John the Baptist

About the Artwork

According to tradition, John the Baptist wears a hair shirt under a white cloth, associated with newly baptized Christians. The flag bearing a red cross symbolizes resurrection. In marked contrast, the background features a lavish gold-patterned silk. The display of such luxurious fabrics continues an ancient tradition of using the finest objects in the worship of God. This painting has been cut down along the lower edge and would have originally shown a full-length image of the saint. It was probably the right wing of a triptych, with John the Baptist gazing upon a central image of the Virgin and Child. Campin first settled in Tournai around 1405-6 as a free master of the guild of painters, and he bought citizenship there in 1410, which suggests he was born elsewhere. Although heavily indebted to contemporary masters of manuscript illumination, Campin displayed greater powers of realistic observation than any other painter before him. He was one of the first artists to experiment with the use of oil-based colors, in lieu of egg-based tempera, to achieve the brilliant color typical of this period.

Provenance

The Dukes of Clermont-Tonnerre; by descent, Nettancourt-Vaubecourt, Château Choiseul; Le Molt collection, Bourbonne-les-Bains; (Christie's London sale, June 26, 1964, no. 44); (Thomas P. Grange, London, 1966)

Exhibition history

Golden Anniversary of Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 10-October 16, 1966). Dukes and Angels: Art from the Court of Burgundy (1364-1419). Musée des Beaux-Arts, Dijon, Dijon, France (May 27-September 15, 2004); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 24, 2004-January 9, 2005). Die Geburt der Modern Malerei: Robert Campin, der Meister von Flemalle und Rogier van der Weyden. Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (November 21, 2008-February 22, 2009); Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie, Germany (March 20-June 21, 2009).

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.

Quick Overview

Artist: Robert Campin (Netherlandish, 1375/79–1444)
Date: c. 1410
Medium: oil on oak panel
Dimensions: Framed: 25 x 20 x 3 cm (9 13/16 x 7 7/8 x 1 3/16 in.); Unframed: 17.3 x 11.6 cm (6 13/16 x 4 9/16 in.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: Medieval Art
Credit line: Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust
Accession no.: 1966.238

Open-access museum record · AT-00009172