Sir John Everett Millais Bt. PRA, Squared up sketch for 'A Forerunner', 1895-6.
Pencil on tracing paper. c.303 mm x 320 mm. © Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London.
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Squared up sketch for 'A Forerunner', 1895-6
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.
Object details
c.303 mm x 320 mm
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