Saint John the Baptist

Guido Reni's Saint John the Baptist (c. 1639–42) at the Art Institute of Chicago is a late-career oil on canvas that entered the museum's collection in 1960 after more than three centuries in Roman and English aristocratic hands ^[2]. The painting, which hangs in Gallery 211, was long exhibited under a different identity — at the British Institution in 1819 it was shown as Judith with Head of Holofernes — before its current subject was recognized ^[2].

Identity and dating: a subject that shifted

The museum identifies the figure as Saint John the Baptist and dates the work to c. 1639–42, the final years of Reni's life ^[2]. The artist, an Italian painter and draftsman active from 1575 to 1642, was based in Bologna, where he trained under Denis Calvaert before associating with the Carracci family, figures central to the Bolognese school ^[1]. The painting's earlier exhibition as Judith with Head of Holofernes at the British Institution in 1819 indicates that the subject was not always read as the Baptist ^[2].

Provenance: from the Colonna palace to Chicago

The documented ownership chain begins with Cardinal Girolamo Colonna, in whose Roman Palazzo Colonna the painting was recorded by 1647 (Colonna collection inventory, 1647, no. 169) ^[2]. It remained with the Colonna family until at least 1783 (Colonna collection inventory, 1783, no. 174) ^[2]. By 1812 the canvas was in England at Cobham Hall, Kent, in the collection of the Earl of Darnley (Graves 1912, no. 62), and it descended through the family to Iva Francis Walter Bligh, 8th Earl of Darnley, who died in 1927 ^[2]. At the Sotheby's sale of July 22–23, 1957 (lot 318), the painting was sold to "Nash" for £100; by March 1958 it was with George Wildenstein in London and New York, from whom the Art Institute purchased it in 1960 ^[2]. The museum acquired the work through the Louise B. and Frank H. Woods Purchase Fund ^[2].

Date	Owner / event
by 1647	Cardinal Girolamo Colonna, Palazzo Colonna, Rome
until at least 1783	Colonna family, by descent
by 1812	Earl of Darnley, Cobham Hall, Kent
died 1927	Iva Francis Walter Bligh, 8th Earl of Darnley
July 22–23, 1957	Sold, Sotheby's, London, lot 318, to "Nash" for £100
by March 1958	George Wildenstein, London and New York
1960	Purchased by the Art Institute of Chicago

Exhibition history and the museum's record

Beyond the 1819 London showing, the painting appeared in Art in Italy, 1600–1700 at the Detroit Institute of Arts (April 6–May 9, 1965, no. 82) ^[2]. It was included in the major monographic survey Guido Reni, 1575–1642 at the Pinacoteca Nazionale in Bologna (September 5–November 13, 1988, cat. 71), which traveled to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (December 11, 1988–February 5, 1989, cat. 59) and the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth (March 9–May 14, 1989) ^[2]. More recently it was shown in Guido Reni: The Divine at the Städel Museum in Frankfurt (November 23, 2022–March 5, 2023, cat. 158) and at the Museo del Prado in Madrid (March 28–July 9, 2023, cat. 82) ^[2]. The museum records the canvas at 248.5 × 174 cm (97 3/4 × 68 1/2 in.), with a framed dimension of 285 × 210.2 × 8.9 cm ^[2].

Frequently asked questions

Who owned Saint John the Baptist before the Art Institute of Chicago?

The documented chain runs from Cardinal Girolamo Colonna in Rome (by 1647), through the Colonna family until at least 1783, then to the Earl of Darnley at Cobham Hall by 1812, and by descent to the 8th Earl of Darnley, who died in 1927. It was sold at Sotheby's in 1957, passed to George Wildenstein, and was purchased by the Art Institute in 1960 ^[2].

Was the painting always identified as Saint John the Baptist?

No. When it was exhibited at the British Institution in London in 1819, it was shown under the title Judith with Head of Holofernes, indicating that the subject was later re-identified ^[2].

When did Guido Reni live and work?

Reni was an Italian painter and draftsman active from 1575 to 1642, associated with the Bolognese school through his training with Denis Calvaert and the Carracci family ^[1]. The museum dates this canvas to c. 1639–42, near the end of his life ^[2].