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Getty buys medieval sculpture of St. John the Baptist at Sotheby’s

The Getty Museum outgunned other bidders at Sotheby’s London today to buy a nearly life-size limewood sculpture of St. John the Baptist that was carved in the early 16th century, paying almost a half-million dollars for it. Experts believe it could have once been part of the Schloss Harburg altar in southern Germany or else was carved by the same sculptor that did that altarpiece, considering the style of the billowing drapery in particular.

The sculpture shows a thickly bearded St. John the Baptist cradling the Holy Lamb, with a camel’s head resting between his feet. Some areas retain the original paint. (FULL ARTICLE: Jori Finkel, Los Angeles Times)