Sir John Everett Millais Bt. PRA, Sketch for 'A Forerunner' and other drawings
Sir John Everett Millais Bt. PRA, Sketch for 'A Forerunner' and other drawings

Sketch for 'A Forerunner' and other drawings, 1896

Sir John Everett Millais Bt. PRA (1829 - 1896)

RA Collection: Art

These three sheets include preparatory studies for A Forerunner(1895-6; Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow), one of Millais's last paintings. The scene depicts St. John the Baptist, the 'forerunner' of Christ, wearing animal skins and standing in a wilderness. These drawings suggest that Millais was experimenting with the pose of the saint who holds up two sticks to bind together, inadvertantly making the sign of the Cross. The painting is one of a group of late works addressing religious themes - including 'St Stephen' (1895) and 'A Disciple' (1895) - all of which feature a single figure painted in sombre, muted tones.

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Object details

Artist/designer
Date
1896
Object type
Drawing
Medium
Black and white chalk on straw board
Dimensions

453 mm x 370 mm

Collection
Royal Academy of Arts
Object number
02/217
Acquisition
Given by Mary, Lady Millais 1945

recto

Title
Sketch for 'A Forerunner' and other drawings

verso

Title
Sketch for 'A Forerunner'
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