The birth of Saint John the Baptist set within a classical building 1531 - 1576

Giulio Bonasone created this engraving, "The Birth of Saint John the Baptist set within a classical building," sometime between 1510 and 1576. The scene is staged within the architecture of Renaissance humanism, complete with classical sculptures in the background, yet it depicts a biblical story. What does it mean to set a sacred scene within the context of the classical revival? Bonasone was working in a world in which women’s experiences, especially those of childbirth, were often marginalized. Here, the focus is on a domestic space filled with women attending to the newborn. The female figures are robust, full of life, and take center stage. They are actively involved, in contrast to the male figures who are more passive observers. This engraving allows us to consider the value placed on women’s roles in nurturing and caring for new life, and the ways in which those roles were both celebrated and confined by the social structures of the time. It invites us to reflect on how cultural and religious narratives shape our understanding of gender and identity.