Saint John the Baptist eating a piece of fruit, an oval composition 1636 - 1646

Editor: So this is Stefano della Bella's "Saint John the Baptist eating a piece of fruit, an oval composition," made sometime between 1636 and 1646. It's currently at the Met. It feels... charmingly domestic, somehow? Like a snapshot of John's childhood. What do you make of it? Curator: Charming is spot-on! There's this delightful contrast, isn't there? We expect the Baptist, this fire-and-brimstone prophet, and instead, we get this almost cherubic image. It’s like Della Bella’s playing with our expectations, juxtaposing the sacred and the mundane. What do you notice about the setting? Editor: Well, there's the lamb, obviously, a symbol for Christ. And a vast, slightly scratchy looking landscape. But everything's sort of softened by that oval frame. Curator: Exactly! Della Bella was a master of etching, using these delicate lines to create depth and atmosphere. Notice how he uses the landscape, the lamb, even the fruit, to allude to John’s future role, but roots him firmly in a pastoral childhood? It is pretty genius if you ask me, because a viewer could perceive so many interpretations depending on background. What do you take away from the piece, considering what we have now observed? Editor: It makes me rethink how we usually portray religious figures – as these remote, untouchable beings. This brings him down to earth, makes him relatable, and very huggable, with those chubby limbs. Curator: Precisely. Della Bella invites us to see the humanity *within* the divinity, hinting that even the holiest figures start somewhere humble, maybe while munching on a delicious piece of fruit. Food for thought, isn't it?