BRUEGEL, Pieter the Elder
(b. ca. 1525, Brogel, d. 1569, Brussel)

The Sermon of St John the Baptist (detail)

1566
Oil on wood
Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest

Protestant preachers roamed the Netherlands, propagating their new teachings in the open air. The same was true of the Anabaptists, who based their religious teachings on those of St John the Baptist. In depicting a contemporary gathering, Bruegel has put the biblical John the Baptist in the place of the preacher. His left arm is indicating Jesus, who clearly stands out among the crowd through his light-coloured garment.