“I will begin with St. John the Baptist, as he is the first St. that the Church places in her litany after the Mother of God, reducing, briefly, to four things what I intend to point out: the first, his age and countenance; the second, his vestments; the third, his insignia; the last, the occupations and exercises in which he should be painted’. [… The face should be long, well proportioned, lean and penitent, because of the great abstinence; the colour, tanned and brown, because of the great suns and inclemencies of the times; but with grace and beauty; the hair and beard not composed and grown; the eyes bright and burning, a sign of the great zeal and spirit of Elias; the eyebrows, large, raised and grave, and, in short, the whole countenance of the noblest man, because he was descended from the royal and priestly tribe, like Christ. Whoever has seen his head in San Silvestre in Rome, says that he has these features. He must have been painted at the age of 29 to 30 years, which is when he manifested himself and began, with such weight and authority, to preach; […]The second thing we promised is the vestments, which I think painters have not noticed until now; at least, I have not seen them. […]So, in conformity with this, he is to be painted with sackcloth that reaches halfway up his legs and arms, of sackcloth woven of camel’s hair, that it may be seen in its roughness that it is so; the flesh where it ends and this vestment is girded with a girdle of the skin of a goat or a calf, or some other animal. […] According to this, the same author has said that it is ignorance of the painters to paint him with skin, as is commonly done, because, either on the one hand or the other, it is not a rough garment, but smooth and soft and suitable for different times. And the Lord has said, speaking of the Baptist, that soft garments were not to be found in the desert, but in the palaces of kings, it is more by the Gospel whoever would paint him rough sackcloth as we have said; and farther from the heretics who said that camel’s hairs were a gift garment. And, for more adornment, it will not be guilty to add, as is customary, a red mantle as an ornament and sign of his glorious martyrdom. It must be painted with its radiance and rays of light; although in the figure of a lamb, because it represents Christ, whom St. John the Baptist called Agnus Dei, Lamb of God, although he saw him in the figure of a perfect man; painting him as St. John has no inconvenience; because the Church allows it and Molano approves it, with the authority of the aforementioned letter of Hadrian to Tarasius. The other insignia is the cross. Some do not think that St. John should be painted on it either, and not only do they not allow it, but they reproach it, saying: that before the Saviour had suffered on it, St. John should not have carried it on his reed, or staff, with veneration; and they should consider that, in addition to the antiquity of the cross, it has a very ancient origin: besides the antiquity of depicting him thus, St. John was not only a prophet like the others but, more than a prophet, as the divine Truth said; and the perfection of prophecy embraces the three times: past, present, and future; and none of those were concealed from him which to the ancient prophets, from the beginning of the world, were manifested and venerated so far away. […] So that, apart from depicting Him preaching to many, advising all kinds of people and in all the stories that the Gospel tells of Him, and in His imprisonment and beheading, in which the tenor of the letter is to be kept, if He is to be depicted alone, He must be in deep consideration, or prayer and contemplation, or pointing, or embraced with the lamb, or preaching; not eating, not discomposed, not drinking from a rock stretched out on his breast, as some have depicted him licentiously; for he is a singular example of abstinence. And, just as Christ, although he was sometimes invited, is not to be painted eating or drinking, but working wonders in the banquets, so one must flee from painting St. John the Baptist in action that is not by the loftiness and gravity of his life.”

“Comenzaré por San Juan Baptista, por ser el primer santo que la Iglesia pone en su letanía después de la Madre de Dios, reduciendo, brevemente, a cuatro cosas lo que pretendo advertir: la primera, su edad y semblante; la segunda, sus vestiduras; la tercera, sus insignias; la última, las ocupaciones y exercicios en que se debe pintar. […] Débese pintar el rostro largo, bien proporcionado, flaco y penitente, por la gran abstinencia; el color, tostado y moreno, por los grandes soles e inclemencias de los tiempos; pero, con gracia y hermosura; el cabello y barba no compuesto y crecido; los ojos vivos y encendidos, señal del gran celo y espíritu de Elías; las cejas, grandes, enarcadas y graves, y, en suma, todo el semblante de hombre nobilísimo, pues descendía del tribu real y sacerdotal, como Cristo. Quién ha visto su cabeza en San Silvestre de Roma, dice que tiene estas señas. Hase de pintar en edad de 29 a 30 años, que es en la que se manifestó y comenzó, con tanto peso y autoridad, a predicar […]. Lo segundo que prometimos son las vestiduras, en que pienso que no han advertido hasta ahora los pintores; a lo menos, yo no lo he visto. […]De manera, que en conformidad desto se le ha de pintar un saco que llegue a la mitad de las piernas y de los brazos, de un cilicio texido de pelos de camello, que se vea en su aspereza que lo es; maltratada la carne donde remata y ceñida esta vestidura con ceñidor de la piel de una cabra, o de un becerro, o de otro animal. […]Según esto, bien ha dicho el mesmo autor que es ignorancia de los pintores pintarle con piel, como se hace comúnmente, pues, o por la una parte, o por la otra, no es vestidura áspera, antes suave y blanda y acomodada a diversos tiempos. Y habiendo dicho el Señor hablando del Baptista, que las vestiduras blandas no en el desierto, sino en los palacios de los Reyes, se habían de hallar, va más conforme al Evangelio quien le pintare un cilicio áspero como habemos dicho; y, más lexos de los herejes que dixeron que los pelos de camello eran un regalado vestido. Y, para más adorno, no será culpable añadirle, como se acostumbra, un manto roxo por ornato y señal de su glorioso martirio.[…] Se ha de pintar con sus resplandores y rayos de luz; aunque en aquella figura de cordero, porque representa a Cristo, a quien San Juan Baptista llamó Agnus Dei, Cordero de Dios, aunque le vido en figura de varón perfeto; pintarlo a San Juan no tiene inconveniente ninguno; porque lo permite la Iglesia y, así lo aprueba Molano, con autoridad de la carta referida, de Adriano a Tarasio. La otra insignia es la cruz. Algunos no son de parecer que se le pinte tampoco a San Juan, y no sólo no lo permiten, más lo reprehenden, diciendo: que antes de haber padecido en ella el Salvador no la había de traer San Juan en su caña, o báculo, con veneración; y debieran considerar que: además de la antigüedad que tiene el pintarle así, San Juan no sólo fue profeta como los demás, pero, más que profeta, como dixo la Verdad divina; y la perfeción de la profecía abraza los tres tiempos: pasado, presente y porvenir; y no se le encubrió ninguna de las que a los profetas antiguos, desde el principio del mundo, se les manifestaron y veneraron tan de lexos; […]De manera que, fuera de pintarlo predicando a muchos, aconsejando a toda suerte de gentes y en todas las historias que cuenta dél el Evangelio, y en su prisión y degollación, en que se ha de guardar el tenor de la letra, habiéndolo de pintar solo, ha de scr en consideración profunda, o en oración y contemplación, o señalando, o abrazado con el cordero, o predicando; no comiendo, no descompuesto, no bebiendo de un peñasco tendido de pechos, como lo pintó alguno licenciosamente; porque es exemplo singular de la abstinencia. Y, así como Cristo, aunque fue convidado algunas veces, no se ha de pintar comiendo o bebiendo, sino obrando maravillas en los convites, así se ha de huir de pintar a San Juan Baptista en acción que no sea conforme a la alteza y gravedad de su vida.”