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And getting to the biblical equation of the number seven in relation to John the Baptist. Albrecht Durer made a series of the Apocalypse (1498-1511), one of them including The Whore of Babylon and St. John Devours the Book/ The "Strong Angel". I would not like to presuppose the interpretation by Durer but all would obtain the number seven. The seven-headed whore of Babylon is represented by a seven-headed beast ridden like a chariot with a divine goddess holding a sacred chalice to the divine feasters. Some of the misinterpretation of St. John the Baptist on feast day is nominated by a virgin holding a head of St. John. This probably does not present to any of the Lutheran Church of Germany a sacrificial head of St. John the Baptist. Given where this beast is nominated to have resided, they would only have sacrificed a sheep or a cow.

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The view of the Florence Baptistery (Battistero di San Giovanni) was a nice introduction to the Martelli Saint John. The early Christian mosaics for the patron Saint, Saint John the Baptist, were a holy ascension to the God in Heaven, taking the patron Saint, Mars, through a process of equation to current Christian philosophy and the religion of the day. A Christian darkness was transported through to a lightness and the love of Christ.

A Divinity in Man

A Divinity in Man

I have been blessed, for the second time, with visiting one of my favourite sculptures, the Donatello and Desiderio da Settignano, The Martelli Saint John the Baptist, ca. 1440-1457, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence. This very special opportunity also allowed a further view of the other Donatello's and Verrocchio in the same room, having studied and made reference to some of the pieces in the first installment of this project (Embroidering the Constellations). The first visit to the Bargello museum occurred nine years prior and it was great to view the Pitti Palace, too, this time around, to catch up with several of the paintings referred to in the first essay. The view of Martelli Saint John was not a disappointment and enabled the third dimension that is lost to the memory and imagination when viewing photographs to be equated. Viewing art works and revisiting cities is always influenced by what pathway has preceded the visit. This visit was via Venice, Rovereto and Padua so the refinement of Donatello and Settignano was less obvious with Giotto, Messina and Bellini as their background. Therefore, following the Christian pathway gave the reinterpretation of Christ through the patron Saint of Florence, St. John the Baptist, the blessing necessary.