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Recognising saints: lamb

A lamb is the common attribute of Saint John the Baptist

Saint John the Baptist is represented with a lamb to symbolise his recognition of Jesus as the Son of God. 

When John baptised Jesus in the River Jordan he said ‘Behold, the Lamb of God’ (John 1: 36).

Hans Memling, Saint John the Baptist, about 1480 

 

Saint John the Baptist
from Two Panels from a Triptych
Hans Memling
about 1480
Painting
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Explore more images of Saint John the Baptist in the collection

The Infant Saint John with the Lamb
The Infant Saint John with the Lamb
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
Saint John the Baptist stands in a rocky landscape, a reference to the wilderness in which he lived as a young man, dressed in a camel-hair tunic and eating only locusts and honey.He embraces a lamb, a symbol of Christ’s sacrifice, and points towards heaven. According to the Gospel, when Saint Jo...
Not on display