St John Baptist Entering the Wilderness

This picture is one of the five predella panels that formed part of an altar piece of Saint Jerome, Saint John the Baptist, Saint Peter and Saint Paul at the Academia in Florence. It is a typical Sienese panel where grey, olive and pink are predominant with highly formalized sculptural treatment of rocks in desert. It depicts the Baptist taking leave of the city and setting out for the wilderness. Attributed to Andrea di Bartolo when acquired, it is now ascribed to Lorenzo Monaco, Sienna-born artist. The five panels are now widely dispersed and differ so markedly in quality that experts are unable to agree on the extent of Lorenzo Monaco's participation in this scheme.