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Study for Saint John the Baptist Preaching

Artist Jacopo Palma, il giovane (Italian, ca. 1548–1628)
Title Study for Saint John the Baptist Preaching
Date Ca. 1620
Medium Brown ink and wash over black chalk on paper
Dimensions Image: 11 5/8 x 10 1/4 in. (29.5 x 26 cm)
Support: 14 15/16 x 13 1/2 in. (37.9 x 34.3 cm)
Framed: 21 7/8 × 18 3/4 × 2 in. (55.6 × 47.6 × 5.1 cm)
Credit Line The Anthony Moravec Collection of Old Master Drawings, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 2010.128

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About this Work

This drawing, previously attributed to an anonymous northern artist influenced by Venetian masters, is actually by the Venetian master Jacopo Palma. It is the only surviving preparatory sketch for the left side of Saint John the Baptist Preaching, also in the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art’s collection (Eskenazi Museum of Art 64.129). There is evidence that it represents a posthumous tribute to the artist’s wife, Andriana, and two of their sons. The artist has already worked out the placement and lighting; however, the drawing either is trimmed or a partial study, as one of the sons is missing.


Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Study for Saint John the Baptist Preaching | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=2010.128