Although this moving scene from the last chapter of II Samuel isn’t regularly depicted by the Old Masters, Jan Boeckhorst produced it at least twice.
Dr. Bob Jones Jr. wrote these words to Julius Weitzner in 1972; however, this voiceover was AI developed with the generous help of SermonAudio.com.
Oil on panel, c. 1521-23
Florentine, 1494–1557
A 1961 Baltimore Museum of Art catalog for an exhibition entitled, Bacchiacca and His Friends, stated that the featured artist’s work had only been seriously studied for the previous 80+ years and had never before been drawn together for a special exhibition despite the artist being described as “charming,” “ingenious,” and “a diligent painter, especially of small figures, which he did perfectly.”
On loan for this first exhibition of works by Francesco Ubertini, called Bacchiacca, was the Museum & Gallery’s painting, St. John the Baptist in the Wilderness. The painting was a 1951 accession—in the inaugural year of M&G, and it aligned well with the Collection’s focus on sacred art by the Old Masters and placed M&G in the company of other museums with works by Bacchiacca, such as the Uffizi Gallery (Florence), Getty Museum (Los Angeles), National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York).
Bacchiacca came from a Florentine family of at least five other artists, including his father (a goldsmith), two brothers (painters), his son (painter) and his nephew (an embroiderer). He learned in the studio of Perugino, collaborated with his friend, Andrea del Sarto, and was peers with the most influential early Mannerists in Florence. Known for his mastery of small figure compositions, he borrowed portions from his mentor, as well as artists like Michelangelo, Leonardo, Fra Bartolommeo, and even Albrecht Dürer and other Northern European masters. He painted in the early decades of the emerging Mannerist style yet successfully married its purposeful distortions and crowded surfaces with the order and balance of the Renaissance style.
Bacchiacca was meticulous in his depictions of flora, fauna, fabrics and other small details. Some have been disdainful of Bacchiacca’s borrowing figures and other elements in his paintings, as well as his production of decorative elements for furnishings in private studies, palaces and public spaces (such as his designs for two series of tapestries now held in the Palazzo Vecchio and the permanent collection of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence). While some critics imply that Bacchiacca’s borrowing and his focus on small pictures reflects an incapacity for grander things, and that the use of his gifts for decorative purposes beyond the canvas (or panel) somehow cheapens his seriousness as an artist, those opinions do not reflect his estimation as an artist in his own day. In fact, these very aspects of his work speak to the breadth of his gifts, and his reputation was high enough to elevate him to the attention and payroll of Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici, for whom he became court painter.
Approximately 60-70% of Bacchiacca’s works have religious subjects. He painted at least three works depicting a young John the Baptist alone in the wilderness. Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael were two of the first artists to focus on John in this way, but others quickly followed their lead. Bacchiacca’s rendering of the young John was painted shortly after Raphael’s, demonstrating how quickly this trend spread among painters.
This artistic focus on John the Baptist is appropriate, given his importance in the Bible. He is one of only seven men whose very names were prophesied in Scripture before their birth. Each of the Gospels (the first four books of the New Testament) mentions John’s ministry. He was the last of the Old Testament prophets, arriving on the scene some 400 years after the final words of Malachi’s message. Preparing for, and overlapping with, Jesus’ ministry, John is also the first of the New Testament prophets.
Also unique about John is the nature of his ministry. We do not know precisely when John made the wilderness his home, but it’s clear that he was in that remote place when God called him to the message that would define the remainder of his brief ministry (Luke 3:1-6). His mission was to reach his Jewish countrymen with the announcement of Messiah’s imminent coming, calling them to repentance from their sins, followed by baptism.
Though crowds came from surrounding cities to observe his ministry, John clarified that he was not the One they were anticipating (based on Old Testament prophecies about Messiah). John said very plainly that his work was merely in preparation for and secondary to the One he proclaimed (Matthew 3:11-12; John 3:25-30). His entire purpose was to point his listeners to Jesus (John 2:29-31, 35-37).
Like M&G’s St. John the Baptist in the Wilderness, artists often represent John with easily recognizable clues to his identity (referred to as iconography in art). These are drawn both from specific biblical passages about John and distilled themes from his ministry. Scripture passages about John mention that he was clothed in camel’s hair, a leather belt, in a wilderness setting. Bacchiacca and his peers at times had to depict things beyond their personal experience, such as a garment made from the skin of animals they didn’t know, employing something more familiar (perhaps a leopard or cheetah skin in place of camel’s hair).
Other identifiers of John in this painting need a bit of investigation:
A collection of sacred art has tremendous value, with viewers’ appreciation growing with their understanding of each piece. Works of art have always elucidated each artist’s era. Sacred artworks, when based accurately on God’s Word, can also deepen biblical understanding. They can expose our needs, deepen our affections, and exhilarate our souls—the very purpose and mission of M&G.
Dr. Stephen B. Jones, M&G volunteer
Sources
Breeskin, A., Rosenthal, G., and Merritt, H. S. (1961). Bacchiacca and his Friends: Florentine Paintings and Drawing of the Sixteenth Century.
Wright, Christopher. (1992). The World’s Master Paintings from the Early Renaissance to the Present Day; A ComprehensiveLlisting of Works by 1300 Painters and a Complete Guide to Their Locations Worldwide. Routledge, England
Brinkmann Pimentel, U. M., Peterson, E. A., Seiner, M. A., & Garrett, M. (2000). Italian Art at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.
Nolan, John M., Hess, Donnalynn, and Jones, Stephen B. (2001). John the Baptist and the Baroque Vision.Bob Jones University Museum & Gallery, Inc.
Published 2026
Benjamin Gerritsz. Cuyp
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This dynamic scene from the gospel of Mark chapter four is a vivid reminder of Christ’s power over all creation.
Tempera on panel, c. 1390-95
Florentine, active 1377-1392
Among the Museum & Gallery’s large collection, there are many altarpieces. Some are complete and some are sections of an altarpiece such as a predella or a removable wing. While considered “incomplete,” these panels stand alone as magnificent examples of art history.
One such is a pair of altarpiece wings titled St. Jude Thaddeus and St. John the Evangelist and St. Paul and a Deacon. Painted c. 1390-95 or the late Trecento, they show six figures from church history and link earthly worshippers with the divine. The details of the paintings—their rounded figures, the precise punchwork in gold, as well as the fluid and monumental fabrics—show a stylistic veneration of Giotto and the early Trecento. Compared to other paintings in the collection, they are not immediately eye-catching. However, their intricate details provide questions that are still being answered.
One resolved question surrounding the wings is the identity of the artist. The earliest collection records attributed them to the late-Trecento painter Giovanni del Biondo, then to the Master of St. Verdiana. The name comes from a rare depiction of Saint Verdiana in Atlanta’s The High Museum of Art, Madonna and Child with Six Saints. St. Verdiana is depicted with two snakes as her distinguishing attribute. Barbara Deimling was one of the first to connect the name Tommaso del Mazza to the Master of St. Verdiana in Tradition & Innovation in Florentine Trecento Painting: Corpus of Florentine Painting. Del Mazza (active 1377-1392) was trained in Florence and was influenced by the work of Agnolo Gaddi and Jacopo di Cione. Although del Mazza is considered a minor painter in the late-Italian Gothic style, he had a busy workshop in Florence, and his oeuvre consists of about fifty paintings.
One unanswered question continues to plague scholars: If these wings were part of a larger triptych and if so, where are the other panels? While there is speculation of other sections, Deimling and a few others believe the center panel to be The Annunciation from the J. Paul Getty Museum collection. It depicts the moment Gabriel appears to Mary and informs her that she will be the mother of Jesus.
M&G’s two wing panels were sent to the Getty where the conservation department examined and restored them. Up to that point, the union had been based on separate photographs and had never been seen together by modern historians. After extensive analysis, Yvonne Szafran, paintings conservator at the Getty at the time, concluded there is no way of being certain all the panels belong together. However, when the three works were brought together at M&G for an exhibition (and subsequent symposium) entitled Twilight of a Tradition, opinions were still divided about the panels originally being a united triptych.
More research will be needed to reach conclusive results on this particular altarpiece and more can be read about these two wings and the exhibition in the catalog Discovering a Pre-Renaissance Master: Tommaso del Mazza. Like the artwork, the catalog does an excellent job in conveying the technical skill of a moderately overlooked artist. Perhaps it is the small details and the small things which lead us to some of the largest discoveries.
KC Christmas Beach, artist and M&G volunteer
Published 2026
Greek, 449-413BC
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Oil on canvas
French (active in Italy), 1628-1679
There is little definitive documentation on Guillaume Courtois, the French painter of this vibrant High Baroque painting. We do know that he came from a family of painters; thus, his earliest training may have been under his father Jean-Pierre Courtois. Around 1636, however, Guillaume and his teenage brother Jacques left France (which had been devastated by the Thirty Years’ War) for Italy. According to some sources they spent time in Bologna, Florence, and Siena before settling in Rome in 1638.
At this time, artists were “pouring in from all over Europe to settle in the city [of Rome]. They all came to learn. Few came with prestigious contracts or appointments in their pockets. Most of them relied for work on the support of the most firmly established national communities (the French, the Dutch, and the Flemish). It was a disconcertingly, rich human panorama that offered an unprecedented opportunity for meetings, exchanges of opinion, and parallel developments of styles” (Zuffi, p. 64). In this eclectic environment both brothers flourished. Jacques went on to become a popular battle-scene painter, Guillaume a painter of religious and mythological scenes.
During his first few years in Rome, Guillaume devoted himself to studying and copying the works of prominent Roman artists like Giovanni Lanfranco and Andrea Sacchi. There is no record of his ever being trained by a specific master; though several historians suggest that he may have been a pupil of Pietro da Cortona in the 1650s. Others reject that claim. Regardless, in this work we do see the brilliant coloration, exaggerated movement, and theatrical “staging” typical of Cortona’s mythological scenes.
Notice how the saturated colors of the soldiers’ accoutrement (brilliant gold shield, silvery cuirasses, red sword sheath, and cloak) provide a vivid contrast to the soft hues of Sarah’s costuming. She is obviously the focal point of the picture. Her strong diagonal body position, sweeping gestures, and backward glance toward her husband Abraham are all in opposition to the soldiers’ dynamic movement toward the “castle-like” structure on the left. This is indeed an unfolding drama, illustrating what art historians like John Canaday describe as the “swooning emotionalism” of the High Baroque style. Although Courtois’ stylistic technique certainly adds power and beauty to the visual narrative, the Biblical text on which the painting is based is far more nuanced in unfolding the narrative’s historical and spiritual context.
In Genesis 12:9-28, Abraham is not a “background figure” but the catalyst for the narrative’s action. While journeying toward Canaan, the patriarch and his entourage encounter a severe famine. Rather than trust God’s continued provision, Abraham decides to “go down to Egypt.” But before entering this potentially hostile territory, he instructs his wife Sarah to equivocate regarding their relationship, explaining to her his rationale: “You are a beautiful woman, and I fear that when the Egyptians see you, they will learn that you are my wife, kill me, and let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared.” As expected, Pharoah’s officials did indeed take note of Sarah and praise her beauty to Pharaoh who (believing she was Abraham’s sister) took her into his harem and treated Abraham well for her sake. However, God’s judgment on the unsuspecting Pharaoh and his household was swift, and he soon discerned that Abraham had lied. Summoning the patriarch he demanded, “What is this you have done unto me? Why did you not tell me that she was thy wife? I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore, . . . take her, and go thy way.” His actions had not only failed to provide refuge during the famine but won him a powerful enemy further complicating his situation! It was a valuable lesson.
Fig. 1 Adoration of the Magi
In the 1660s Guillaume moved toward a more Classical style of painting. During this stage in his career, he produced numerous preparatory studies for each work, generally drawn in red or black chalk. The preparatory sketch for the Adoration of the Magi illustrates not only the artist’s stylistic shift but also his considerable skill as a draughtsman. This study was completed for an engraving reproduced in a missal book printed in Rome in 1662. Such books (many of which are now lost) often included engravings by leading Italian painters of the time. Peter Vergo notes that Guillaume Courtois “shows himself to be a draughtsman of great distinction. His style of drawing is much enriched in his final years through the use of several colored chalk drawings upon tinted paper. Thereby providing pastel-like effects. His development broke off at its climax. He died at the age of 51.”
Donnalynn Hess, Director of Education
Works Cited:
John Canaday. Metropolitan Seminars in Art: Great Periods in Painting. Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications. 1959.
Ian Chilvers. Concise Dictionary of Art and Artists, 3rd edition. Oxford University Press. 2003.
Hanno-Walter Kruft. “Drawings by Borgognone and Baciccia in the Dusseldorf Kupoferstichkabinett,” The Burlington Magazine, Vol. 119, No. 887 (Feb., 1977).
Stefano, Zuffi (Ed.). Baroque Painting: Twenty Centuries of Masterpieces from the Era Preceding the Dawn of Modern Art. Electa. 1999.
Published 2026
Walnut, 16th century
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The Renaissance interest in realism and naturalism even influenced how works of art were framed!
M&G at BOB JONES UNIVERSITY; 1700 Wade Hampton Blvd - Greenville, SC 29614
