# Saint John the Baptist Preaching

**Mattia Preti (Il Cavalier Calabrese)** (Italian, 1613–1699)  
ca. 1650  
Oil on canvas  
68 x 47 3/4 in. (172.7 x 121.3 cm)

Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005.477. [The museum's record](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/438824).

## About this work

Mattia Preti (Il Cavalier Calabrese) painted this in about 1650, aged about 32. It is now at The Met in New York.

### How it was made

- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [Mattia Preti (Il Cavalier Calabrese)](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/mattia-preti-il-cavalier-calabrese)

Italian, 1613–1699; born in Taverna; died in Valletta

## Facts

- Type: Paintings
- The artist was about 32
- Real size: about 68 × 48 in (173 × 121 cm). The original is larger than our largest print, 20 × 30 in, so every print is a reduction.
- Century: 17th century
- Subjects: Sheep, Saint John the Baptist
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1198.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1198/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/saint-john-the-baptist-preaching-met-438824).