Raffaello sanzio, predica del battista, 1505, 01

St. John the Baptist stands on a small rise on the right, gesturing toward the sky as he speaks to a gathered audience. The listeners, dressed in varied Renaissance-style cloaks and caps, appear in poses of deep thought or quiet conversation. The scene takes place in a bright, open valley with slender trees and distant blue mountains.

St. John the Baptist was the patron saint of Florence and was interpreted by Neoplatonists like Marsilio Ficino as a bridge between the 'Prisca Theologia' (ancient wisdom) and the Christian revelation. This panel is part of the predella for the Ansidei Altarpiece, created during Raphael's formative years in the Florentine intellectual milieu.