This painting in M&G’s collection is one of only two works known with a signature by this mysterious artist, and it has become a keystone work used to compare other paintings in Flemish painter Jan van de Venne’s complete body of work!
Tag Archives: oil on canvas
The Virgin Annunciate
Oil on canvas
Giovanni Battista Salvi, called Il Sassoferrato
Roman, 1609–1685
Giovanni Battista Salvi, called Il Sassoferrato received his nickname from his small-town birthplace in the Marches region of Italy, but he spent the majority of his career in Rome. He probably received early instruction from Domenichino, whose clarity, refinement, and idealized beauty significantly influenced the formation of Salvi’s derivative, yet individualistic, style. Other artists whose work in the soft classical style affected Sassoferrato include Guido Reni and Raphael. In fact, the 19th-century historians believed that Sassoferrato’s works were by a contemporary of Raphael.
While he was known as a talented portraitist and painted few large altarpieces and church decorations, he seemed to prefer the smaller, devotional works, which he continued to repeat and perfect. His signature palette is dominated by vibrant blues and reds—often juxtaposed in the same painting.
Common with Counter-Reformation artists, the theme of the Madonna certainly developed into a favorite of Sassoferrato, later earning him the nickname, “the painter of beautiful Madonnas” by 18th-century art historian Pietro Brandolese. Reacting to the accusations of heresy and idolatry leveled by the Reformers, 17th-century patrons, both ecclesiastical and private, developed a stronger proclivity to images of Mary. Artists such as Carlo Dolci and Sassoferrato met the demands of this burgeoning market for highly polished and deeply pietistic paintings. Drawing from a handful of stock compositions and using some variation, Sassoferrato mass-produced scores of devotional paintings, focusing on compositions with 1-3 individuals, often featuring Mary, the Christ Child or both. However, the present composition is an exception; he used it only twice. Devotional works like The Virgin Annunciate (traditionally paired with a painting of Gabriel, the angel of the annunciation) were meant to inspire greater contemplation about remarkable saints who devoted their lives to God.
Sassoferrato’s ability as a draftsman could rival nearly any of his contemporaries. The contemporary Roman sculpture of Gian Lorenzo Bernini probably inspired the swirling drapery, a high baroque device used to intensify the visual impact. The vivid ultramarine blue of the Virgin’s robe illustrates his simple, but vibrant, coloration.
M&G’s The Young Christ is also by Sassoferrato and represents another unique example of the artist’s style—copying other masters’ works by lifting a figure from a painting and making a new work of art focused on the borrowed detail. Sassoferrato became a supplier of devotional images, which matched the environment of the Roman church’s focus in the 17th century. He created familiar images through his large production of copies for a devout audience with limited resources, yet who desired beautiful, quality compositions. His work and skill filled an important role in the period, which earned him a valuable place within the old master tradition.
Francois Macé De Lepinay in the 1990 exhibition and catalogue focused on Il Sassoferrato writes, “Salvi’s art is not confused with that of anyone else. It is enough to compare one of his masterpieces with a work by another artist, to immediately recognize the manner of Sassoferrato. The one who, in the midst of a century characterized by the abundance of styles and tastes, was able to invent an impasto, to use the brush in a very particular way and to develop unusual projects; he is truly a man apart, capable of making choices that may baffle critics.”
Adapted by Erin R. Jones from the 2001 publication, Selected Masterworks from the Bob Jones University Museum & Gallery
Published 2026
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.
St. John the Baptist in the Wilderness
Oil on panel, c. 1521-23
Francesco Ubertini, called Il Bacchiacca
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:
- There are two deer: These likely refer to the psalmist’s comparison of his soul’s thirst for God to deer who pant for a spring (Psalm 42:1-2).
- A spring of water, a cup, and a river: These refer to John’s signature ministry of baptizing all who heeded his call to repentance. Also pivotal is John’s baptism of Jesus Christ, which was requested by Christ Himself, despite the protestations of John that he, not Jesus, stood in need of baptism (Matthew 3:13-17).
- A cross made of reeds: This refers to a specific exchange between Jesus and his audience (Matthew 11:7), in which Jesus asks his audience what they expected to witness when they flocked to the Jordan River to see John. John’s entire ministry had pointed to Jesus the Messiah and now, when John was in prison and asked for reassurance about Christ, Jesus tells the crowd that John was not weak or buffeted like a reed. On the contrary, John’s whole ministry, which was always based upon God’s revelations to John about Jesus’ identity, pointed unbendingly to the Lamb that would be slain for sin.
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
This dynamic scene from the gospel of Mark chapter four is a vivid reminder of Christ’s power over all creation.
Sarah Taken to Pharoah’s House
Oil on canvas
Guillaume Courtois, called Il Borgognone
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
Falstaff Examining Prince Hal from Henry IV
Oil on canvas, c. 1789
Robert Smirke, R.A.
English, 1752–1845
Understanding the subject matter of a painting deepens one’s understanding and appreciation. In addition, understanding an artwork’s purpose at origination and its pathway to the present can enrich one’s esteem for the piece.
Such is the case for the Museum & Gallery’s painting, Falstaff Examining Prince Hal, by the artist Robert Smirke who memorializes a key scene in William Shakespeare’s play Henry IV (Part 1, Act 2, Scene 4). The wayward Prince Henry V (also known as Prince Harry or Hal) passes time with his drinking companions, listening to a tall tale from the corpulent old Falstaff. In the middle of this conversation a nobleman arrives at the door of the pub to tell Hal that his father, King Henry IV, wishes to see him at the palace the following morning. Hearing that a civil war is brewing, Falstaff offers to help Harry prepare for his audience with the king through role-play. Falstaff pretends to be King Henry IV (who watches this play-acting in the form of a royal portrait on the wall), scolding Hal for his frivolous living and rascal companions. This frozen moment in Shakespeare’s play brilliantly conveys the tension between Prince Harry’s irresponsible past and the expectations of his royal future.
It is fair for viewers of the painting to wonder why Robert Smirke, a member of the Royal Academy of Arts from 1786 to 1813, would choose to illustrate this play (or, indeed, any work by Shakespeare), and the answer points to a unique endeavor in the Golden Age of British art.
One man who became an engine for change was John Boydell (1720-1804). He was an engraver by training, publishing his first book of engravings in 1746, the first year of his own business. Boydell enlarged his business by buying plates from other engravers and selling their prints in addition to his own, a novel approach in his time. He also began importing prints from the Continent, most of which came from French artists (the undisputed masters of engraving at the time). Most pieces Boydell sold illustrated literary subjects and specific events in contemporary history.
Boydell recognized an imbalance between the desirability of British prints compared to French prints, and he set out to change it. He knew there would be no change until British engraving could compete on even footing. To do that, Boydell needed a “truly spectacular” print. He commissioned William Woollett, the leading British engraver of the time, to engrave a specific painting by Richard Wilson. The project was a tremendous success. Within ten years, Britain was exporting more prints than it imported from the Continent.
Success gave Boydell the financial freedom to engage in other projects, and the final two decades of his life were devoted to a massive Shakespeare project (which was the impetus for M&G’s Falstaff Examining Prince Hal painting and many others).
The scope of the project was considerable, having three components. The primary focus was a newly edited and illustrated volume of Shakespeare’s plays. Boydell took on responsibility for the illustrations, while George Steevens, a prominent Shakespeare editor, oversaw the text. Boydell engaged numerous British artists for this undertaking.
The second component in the Shakespeare project was a public gallery of paintings depicting scenes from Shakespeare, employing some of the finest artists of the era (including Joshua Reynolds, Benjamin West, and Henry Fuseli). When the Shakespeare Gallery opened to the public in 1789, it had 34 paintings, growing to a total inventory of between 167 and 170 works. Robert Smirke, the artist behind M&G’s work, contributed 26 paintings, the largest number by any single artist.
The final portion of Boydell’s Shakespeare project was to produce a folio of prints based upon the paintings in the Shakespeare Gallery. It is through this folio that we know the rough inventory of the gallery, of which only about 40 paintings can be confidently identified today.
At this point the larger history of Europe intervenes. Due to the French Revolution and subsequent wars between France and its neighbors, Boydell’s trade with Europe became increasingly difficult. Eventually it fell off almost completely. For his business to survive, Boydell was forced to sell the Shakespeare Gallery, and he was almost bankrupt at the time of his death in December 1804.
The mechanism agreed upon for the sale was a lottery of 22,000 tickets, each costing three guineas. Every purchaser of a ticket was guaranteed to receive a print from Boydell’s stock, valued at a minimum of one guinea; 64 winners would receive more valuable prizes; and one person would win the grand prize of the gallery and its paintings. Although Boydell died before the January 1805 lottery was drawn, he had seen the sale of all 22,000 tickets.
William Tassie, a gem engraver and cameo modeler, won the gallery. Though he was approached with an offer to sell the gallery’s contents, thus preserving the collection, he insisted upon selling the individual paintings at the Christie’s 1805 auction from May 17-20.
Surviving documents illuminate the travels of Smirke’s Falstaff Examines Prince Hal from Day One of that May 1805 auction to its home in the Museum & Gallery collection. In fact, our painting went across the Christie’s sales floor two additional times—in 1830 and again in 1962. Between those sales, it spent 25 years in one private collection and 132 years with multiple generations of another British family. M&G is grateful to be its home, sharing such a storied piece in person and online.
Dr. Stephen B. Jones, M&G volunteer
You can see this painting in person in M&G’s current exhibition, Who Needs Shakespeare?, on view in the Gustafson Fine Arts Center on the campus of Bob Jones University.
Bibliography
Boydell, John. The Boydell Shakespeare Prints. Arno Press, 1979.
Shakespeare Illustrated: The Artists, Emory University
Christie’s. Important English Pictures and Drawings: c.1650-c.1960. Christie’s, November 1962. Auction Catalog.
Published 2026
St. Veronica
Oil on canvas
Claude Vignon
French, 1593-1670
The legend of St. Veronica is a tangled one. Whether she is based on a woman named Berenice, the woman with the issue of blood, or merely a weeping woman of Jerusalem, the important thing is that there is no Biblical foundation to her story. Veronica is said to be a widow who pitied the Savior and offered Him her veil to wipe His sweaty, bloodstained face. He accepted, and when He returned the veil, it bore His likeness.
In the world of art, her iconography includes the face-imprinted cloth, as in M&G’s painting by Claude Vignon. The religious have long sought relics of biblical personages. This veil with its miracle-produced image is considered the vera icon or “true image” to distinguish it from all other images of Christ. Over time the cloth became known as a veronica (also a sudarium) and the woman as “Veronica.”
Luke 23:28 states that Christ tells the mourning women following Him to Calvary, “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.” These are not the devoted Galilean women; these are women of Jerusalem who doubtless heard of or even participated in the mob cry, “Let his blood be upon us and our children” outside Pilate’s palace. Christ denies their pity for Himself; His death is a permanent payment for sin, but He will rise again. Instead, He confronts them with the consequences of their nation’s rejection of the Son of God (Luke 23:29-30). Whether He foretells the cruel Roman destruction of Jerusalem (A.D. 70) or the ultimate judgment of the earth when the Jews recognize fully their sin in rejecting Him (Revelation 6:16) or both destructions, Jesus’ words point up the irony that their sympathy should lie with the living, not the soon-dead, innocent One (the “green tree” in Luke 23:31).
Vignon painted another work with a veronica, this time with angels holding the cloth. It is intriguing to consider the variations of the face of Christ. M&G’s St. Veronica depicts a corpse-like appearance similar to a death mask with a face drained of color, eyes closed, and a marked lack of blood from both the crown of thorns and the soldiers’ abuse. It is clearly not a true image of Christ on His way to Calvary, though His blood loss must have been severe. However, the visage on the cloth that the two angels display is much more like the face the women saw—a man abused, yet fully aware. Why Vignon painted such different versions of the vera icon, aside from being ironic, is a mystery.
Two Angels Presenting the Holy Face, Claude Vignon
Musee des Beaux-Arts, Rouen, France
The vibrant colors and use of chiaroscuro suggest the influence of the Caravaggisti that Vignon encountered in Rome during his travels. The different coloring between these two works highlights the variety that is found in Vignon’s style in general and causes the viewer to understand the validity of one critic’s comment that “a wealth of hues plays a large part in the poetry of the work of Claude Vignon.”
He was employed by King Louis XIII as well as Cardinal Richelieu, commissions that speak to his skill and popularity. A man of varied talents (painter, etcher, and art salesman), Vignon drew together the influences of Mannerism, Colorism, Caravaggism, and even of Rembrandt and produced works that mark him as “one of the most important and most distinctive French painters of his generation.”
Dr. Karen Rowe Jones, M&G Board Member
Published 2026
This beautiful modello preserves the near final version of one of Benjamin West’s lost paintings.
To learn more about the entire series to which this study image belongs, visit here.
