With sharply turned head and intensely focused gaze, this figure of Saint John seems almost to speak. The statue is attributed to Giovanni Francesco Rustici, the Florentine sculptor, who worked most closely with Leonardo da Vinci. The sculpture's creamy white glaze, very different from the pure white achieved by the della Robbia workshop, suggests that even in this monochrome sculpture Rustici was seeking a particular coloristic effect through contrast of light and shadow.

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