The Head of Saint John the Baptist on a Gold Dish

Image credit: The Bowes Museum

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Notes

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From the fifteenth century, the head of Saint John the Baptist on a dish was a common theme in Netherlandish painting. Its popularity lasted until the seventeenth century, when this work was probably made. The image is associated with the cult of relics and of Saint John the Baptist as the forerunner of Christ. His death is recounted in the Gospels as instigated by Herodias, after he criticised her marriage to Herod, her former brother-in-law. Representations of the beheading usually include the figure of Herodias's daughter Salome, who requested the Saint's head on a dish.

The Bowes Museum

Barnard Castle

Title

The Head of Saint John the Baptist on a Gold Dish

Date

early 17th C

Medium

tempera on panel

Measurements

H 28.6 x W 28.6 cm

Accession number

B.M.959

Acquisition method

bequeathed by the Founders, 1885

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The Bowes Museum

Barnard Castle, County Durham DL12 8NP England

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