The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist
Giovanni di Paolo
c. 1455
Medium
Tempera on panel
Dimensions
68.6 × 39.1 cm (27 × 15 3/8 in.)
Classification
tempera
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
16169
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Blood spills from Saint John the Baptist’s freshly severed neck as a henchman places his head on a golden platter. Sienese painter Giovanni di Paolo illustrated the life of John the Baptist in a twelve-part series; this panel depicts the moments just after John’s beheading, ordered by King Herod at the request of his daughter, Salome. The gruesome details contrast with the other figures’ placid expressions and the executioner’s casual pose as he returns his sword to its scabbard. The building it...