ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

Caravaggio's "San Giovanni Battista," ( St, John the Baptist), painted in 1602, exists in two versions that are practically identical. One, definitively attributed to Caravaggio, is located in the Capitoline Museums, while the other, identified as a copy, is in the Doria Pamphilj Gallery in Rome. Commissioned by the Roman nobleman Ciriaco Mattei, this painting represents San Giovannino, young and beautiful according to the Caravaggesque ideal of beauty. The work is part of a series of commissions from the artist for private clients during the years 1601-02. The pose of the young man, inspired by the nudes of the Sistine Chapel, shows his crypto-paganism and connection with Renaissance humanism. This ambiguity has led to confusion about the exact title, with alternative denominations such as "Il Pastore," "Coridone," and "Il Sacrificio di Isacco."