Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness (recto)

Defendente Ferrari's Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness presents the forerunner of Christ in his desert retreat with the combination of wilderness setting and devotional focus characteristic of this subject type. The recto designation suggests this panel formed part of a double-sided work, possibly a processional standard or the wing of a folding altarpiece. Ferrari's treatment of the Baptist combines the Piedmontese tradition's warm coloring with the naturalistic wilderness setting that made this subject an opportunity for landscape painting within a devotional context.

The devotional composition is rendered with attention to the expressive and contemplative qualities that served the painting's function as an aid to prayer and meditation.