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Plaque with the Head of Saint John the Baptist on a Charger

15th century
Not on view
John the Baptist, who recognized Christ as the "the Lamb of God,… who taketh away the sin of the world,"(John 1:23) was beheaded on Herod's orders. This relief depicts the relic of John's head, which was kept in Amiens Cathedral. Doubling as a halo, the charger stands against a flowering meadow, an evocation of Paradise. Other English alabaster carvings with this subject survive as the centerpieces of triptychs. The well-preserved original paint of this relief suggests that it too was originally part of such an ensemble.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Plaque with the Head of Saint John the Baptist on a Charger
  • Artist: School of Nottingham (British)
  • Date: 15th century
  • Geography: Made in Probably Nottingham, England
  • Culture: British
  • Medium: Alabaster with paint and gilding
  • Dimensions: Overall: 8 1/4 x 6 5/16 x 1 1/8 in. (21 x 16 x 2.9 cm)
  • Classifications: Sculpture-Stone, Sculpture-Alabaster
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1913
  • Object Number: 13.124
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

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