Onthoofding van Johannes de Doper

About this artwork

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Art Historical Context

**Onthoofding van Johannes Doper (The Beheading of John the)** *Frans Crabbe van Esghem, ca. 1490–1552, etching, 248 × 165 mm* This etching by Flemish artist Frans Crabbe Espleghem depicts dramatic biblical scene of the beheading of John the Baptist a pivotal moment from the New Testament recounted in the Gospels. Crabbe, a master printmaker from Mechelen in the Netherlands, captured the tension of Herod's feast and Salome's fateful request with intricate detail, reflecting the religious fervor of the Northern Renaissance. Produced during the early 16th century, the work embodies the era's ...

About the Artist

Frans Crabbe van Espleghem · 1480–1553

Frans Crabbe van Espleghem was one of the leading artists in Mechelen, the capital of the southern Netherlands. He began his career painting altarpieces but after Albrecht Dürer's visit to the Netherlands in 1521, Crabbe began to produce prints. He combined Italianate figure types with a concern for atmosphere and depth in landscape and an emphasis on ordinary daily life and humble people. In 1539...