John the Baptist

John the Baptist is described in the Bible as a man from the wilderness who preaches a baptism of repenteance for the forgiveness of sins. This porcelain sculpture is based on a painting showing him sitting beside the river Jordan, gesturing toward Jesus in the distance as if exclaiming, "Behold the Lamb of God" (John 1:29). Here the artist at the Meissen manufactory copies just the figure of the saint with a lamb, the Baptist's main attribute. The theme of repentance is echoed in the pendant to this piece showing a figure of Mary Magdalene (see 2022.43.1).