John the Baptist in the Wilderness 1540 - 1560

"John the Baptist in the Wilderness" is a 16th-century etching by the Venetian artist Giulio Sanuto, currently in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The print depicts John the Baptist in a mountainous landscape, seated with his hand outstretched towards a small waterfall. In the background, a distant city can be seen, and a deer grazes in the foreground. Sanuto's meticulous detail in rendering the human figure and landscape is characteristic of Renaissance printmaking. The etching's subject matter, drawn from the New Testament, would have resonated with a contemporary audience familiar with biblical narratives.