Dish with beheading of St. John the Baptist

Art Historical Context

This striking lead-glazed earthenware, attributed to Bernard Palissy dating from the second half of the 17th century, depicts the dramatic biblical scene of the beheading St. John the Baptist Measuring just under 11 inches across, the shallow oval form features molded relief figures—including women and swordsmen—capturing the moment of the saint's martyrdom as recounted in the New Testament. The vibrant glazes, a hallmark of Palissy's techniques, bring vivid color and texture to the narrative, evoking the tension and tragedy of the event. Bernard Palissy (ca. 1510–1589), a pioneering French c...

About the Artist

Bernard Palissy · 1510–1590

Bernard Palissy (c. 1510–1590), born to a poor family in the Saintonge region of France—possibly in Saintes, Périgord, or near Agen—began his career apprenticed to a glass painter before becoming a wandering journeyman portrait painter, glassworker, and land surveyor across France, the Low Countries, and Italy. He learned the rudiments of pottery in La Chapelle-des-Pots and settled in Saintes as a...