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A work made of oil on canvas.

Saint John the Baptist Preaching in the Desert

c. 1758–64

Jean Baptiste Henri Deshays (French, 1729–1765)

France

A precocious talent, Jean-Baptiste Deshays married Rococo artist François Boucher’s daughter and became his father-in-law’s protégé. Although best known as a painter of religious subjects, Deshays often employed the soft, highly fluid manner that Boucher used for his amorous “boudoir” pictures. In fact, this work was for a long time believed to be by Boucher. The subject of the painting derives from the Gospel of Matthew: Seated before the multitude with his arms dramatically outstretched, John the Baptist warns, “Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Oil on canvas

Painting and Sculpture of Europe