“Saint John the Baptiste” in suite of Caravaggio, Napoli or Rom, circa 1620

The work depicts a melancholic or meditative Saint John the Baptist, a theme Caravaggio painted several times in dramatic chiaroscuro, with powerful modeling of the naturalistic flesh and restrained emotion.
Our painting is attributable to a 17th-century Caravaggesque painter dated 1620-30, such as Giovanni Battista Caracciolo (Battistello), Jusepe de Ribera, or a Roman follower of Manfredi.
Having been restored at a very early date, it exhibits a uniform, fine craquelure and a yellowing varnish, consistent with an early 17th-century painting.