Young St. John the Baptist 1500 - 1515

Antonio Lombardo created this bronze sculpture, Young St. John the Baptist, around the turn of the 16th century. Lombardo has taken bronze, an inherently industrial material, and through the lost-wax casting process, elevated it to something of the highest artistic order. Molten bronze was poured into a mold and then cooled, and the cast would have been refined by hand, with details like the boy's curly hair and solemn expression carefully articulated. The bronze gives the figure a sense of weight and permanence, while the smooth, dark surface enhances the lifelike quality of the sculpture. Although bronze is not a precious material like gold, it was expensive, and the artist was clearly catering to a wealthy clientele, while also demonstrating his mastery of the bronze casting process. The amount of labor invested in producing this sculpture gives it a social significance that transcends its function as a devotional object. Appreciating the skill and effort involved challenges traditional notions of art and craft, encouraging a deeper understanding of the materials, making, and context that contribute to the artwork's overall meaning.