Description

The hermitic life of Saint John the Baptist is reflected in this sculpture, both in his clothing and his physical appearance. We see his camel-skin tunic and his cloak, his right shoulder exposed, his elongated face with beard, and thick black curly hair that hangs untidily. The figure is standing, right leg in apparent forward motion while the other supports his full weight. Using this slight contrapposto, the artist manages to bring the image to life. The position of the arms also contributes to this sense of motion: the right arm extended downward, with the index finger pointing to the lamb, and the left arm extended upward to hold the cross and a phylactery (neither of which has been conserved). 

These characteristics are associated with the Granadan style of the 1500s, between the disciples of Diego de Siloé and the early days of Pablo de Rojas.

Its location within the Royal Hospital building is attributed to the Catholic Monarchs’ devotion to John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. The sculptures of both are likely to have been part of the basic set of items used as altar images in the original Hospital chapel, designed to be located on the main wall of the primitive chapel.

In 1624, Gaspar Guerrero was charged with creating an altarpiece, and it was then that the two sculptures were set into small niches in the side chapel. It would also be at this point that the works were polychromed by Pedro Villegas.