Curatorial Notes
Typical of Flemish art of the period, this scene suggests a comfortable home of the late 1400s in the Netherlands to frame the story of a biblical birth. Elizabeth, mother of Saint John the Baptist, rests after her labor, while her cousin, the Virgin Mary, presents the newborn to his father, Zacharias. Having lost his ability to speak when he doubted an angel’s prophecy of the child’s birth, Zacharias writes down his son’s name. At this moment, his speech is restored. This painting was once part of an altarpiece commissioned by Queen Isabella I of Castile, known as the Catholic (1451–1504), for a monastery near Burgos.
Artwork Identification
Title The Birth and Naming of John the Baptist
Title (PT) O Nascimento e Nomeação de João Batista
Title (ES) El nacimiento y el nombramiento de Juan el Bautista
Artist Juan de Flandes
Artist Bio Juan de Flandes (Netherlandish, c. 1460–1519)
Date 1496–99
Work Type Painting
Location & Collection
Institution Cleveland Museum of Art
Source View Museum Page
License Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0
