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Head of Saint John the Baptist

Head of Saint John the Baptist is a marble piece created by Auguste Rodin in 1887. It belongs to a group of works derived from Saint John the Baptist Preaching, first shown in 1880, which brought Rodin important official recognition. Rather than presenting the fragment as a conventional bust, Rodin mounted it sideways on a baptismal font to strengthen its connection to the story of Saint John the Baptist. He also separated it from the rest of the fragment known as The Walking Man, which lost any religious tendency. The work reflects Rodin’s interest in creating gestures across different instants and in suspending time abruptly. It is exhibited in Mexico at Museo Soumaya, Fundación Carlos Slim.

Head of Saint John the Baptist sculpture with closed eyes and an open mouth, shown in a weathered white surface.
Head of Saint John the Baptist, shown as a weathered white sculpture with a fragmented surface and detailed curls of hair.
© Auguste Rodin · CC0
Stone sculpture of the head of Saint John the Baptist resting in a shallow basin
The Head of Saint John the Baptist shown as a carved stone sculpture in a shallow basin.
December 2007 © · CC BY-SA 2.0
Head of Saint John the Baptist, a textured stone sculpture of a face with closed eyes and an open mouth set in a rough enclosure.
Rodin’s Head of Saint John the Baptist shown in a close view of the sculpted face and rough stone setting.
February 2019 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Weathered stone sculpture of the Head of Saint John the Baptist displayed on a pedestal in a museum setting.
Head of Saint John the Baptist displayed on a pedestal in a museum gallery.
December 2012 © · CC BY 4.0
Head of Saint John the Baptist sculpture in white stone, shown resting horizontally in a bowl-like receptacle.
Head of Saint John the Baptist by Auguste Rodin, shown in a close-up view with the face resting inside a rounded receptacle.
© · CC0

Identification

TitleHead of Saint John the Baptist
Original titleCabeza de San Juan Bautista
TypeSculpture; fragment of a larger work

Historical context

Date created1887
Related workSan Juan Bautista Predicando (John the Baptist Preaching)
First exhibited1880
Reception of related workReceived an official mention and important recognition; critics gave it great acceptance

Creator

ArtistAuguste Rodin
Artist nationalityFrench
Part of seriesA series of sculptures based on Rodin's Saint John the Baptist

Discovery and provenance

Relation of related fragment to religionIt lost all religious tendencies
Reason for separationRodin separated the sculpture after strong criticism of the work
Related fragmentThe remaining fragment was later named The Walking Man
Relation to source workA fragment separated from San Juan Bautista Predicando

Physical characteristics

FormHead sculpture; not presented as a bust
CompositionMounted sideways on a baptismal font
Artistic effectThe separation of the head from the body allowed Rodin to express gestures at various moments
Interpretive claimSome authors describe it as Rodin's stopping time abruptly

Appearance

Display intentionThe sideways mounting was intended to make a greater reference to the story of Saint John the Baptist
Thematic interpretationThe idea of stopping time is described as a counter-statement to the use of photography in gestures

Materials

MaterialMarble

Iconography and meaning

SubjectSaint John the Baptist

Location and ownership

Current exhibition locationMuseo Soumaya, Fundación Carlos Slim, Mexico