John the Baptist in the Wilderness is a painting by Geertgen tot Sint Jans, made ca.

[4] John the Baptist is the focal point in the painting, with a lamb by his side, in a kind of Garden of Eden setting.

The brown garment, that according to Matthew was made of camel's hair, that John wears on the panel also refers the Gospel.

However, the fact that John isolated himself in solitude and seems lost in his thoughts, as in the painting, are not stated in the Gospels.

This element may have been inspired by the belief that John was a kind of forerunner of hermits (monks who live in seclusion), like for example in the Vita Christi, by Ludolph of Saxony.