The artwork named “St John the Baptist,” created by the artist associated with “Orthodox Icons” around the year 1300, is a distinguished piece from the Late Byzantine or Palaeologan Renaissance period, which spanned from approximately 1261 to 1453. As part of the icon genre within the series focusing on Saints, this artwork exemplifies spiritual and artistic elements characteristic of its era.
In the artwork, St John the Baptist is depicted with traditional iconographic elements. He is portrayed with long, flowing hair and a beard, his visage emanating a profound sense of spirituality and asceticism. Dressed in a garment blending earthy hues of dark and light tones, he holds a gesture of blessing or teaching with one hand slightly open, while the other appears to clutch his robe. The delicate use of color and the stylized form reflect the Byzantine artistic conventions of the time, emphasizing the spiritual rather than the naturalistic depiction. The background, although faded, provides a stark, almost otherworldly setting that further emphasizes the saint’s ethereal presence.