Girolamo Ticciati, Stories of St. John the Baptist
- Author
- Girolamo Ticciati
- Date
- 1732
- Collocation
- Cortile del Ticciati
- Specific location
- Left wall
- Original location
- Baptistery of San Giovanni, balustrade of the main altar
- Material
- White marble
- Technique
- Sculpture
- Dimensions
- Height: 90 cm ca.; Width: 80 cm ca.;
Four marble reliefs by Girolamo Ticciati (1732) showing episodes from the life of John the Baptist: The Visitation, Saint John the Baptist’s Farewell to His Parents, Saint John the Baptist Indicates Christ to His Disciples and Saint John the Baptist Before Herod. These reliefs, together with the series of eagles with bales of cloth, symbol of Calimala guild, were part of the altar rails in front of the altar Ticciati created for the Baptistery in 1732 (removed in 1912). The four episodes briefly narrate John the Baptist’s life. In The Visitation, Mary is pregnant with Jesus and visits her cousin Elisabeth, who is also pregnant with John the Baptist. The unborn John feels the presence of Jesus and rejoices in his mother’s womb. In the Farewell, the young John leaves his parents’ home to live a life of solitude and prayer in the desert, in order to prepare himself spiritually for his mission. A few years later he meets Jesus and hails him to his disciples as “The Lamb of God” and the Savior. In the last scene John is reproving Herod for his immorality, leading to his imprisonment and subsequent beheading.