Head of Saint John the Baptist
- unknown artist
Unknown artist, Head of Saint John the Baptist, about 1640-1670. Oil paint on canvas; 25¾ × 36½ in. Gift of Dr. & Mrs. Seymour Rubenfeld, 1978.178A-C.
According to the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, Salomé performed a dance at the birthday of the Roman tetrarch Herod, who found the dance so pleasing that he offered her anything she wished. Prompted by her mother, Herodias, Salomé requested the head of John the Baptist on a platter. The preacher, cousin to Christ, had angered Herod and Herodias by criticizing their marriage, which he considered illegal.
Images of Salomé receiving the head of the Baptist are common in Christian art. This work from Peru, however, shows only the severed head of the Baptist on an ornate silver platter within an interior setting. The tradition of depicting the decapitated head of the Baptist originated in Seville in the first half of the 1600s before spreading to the Americas. Numerous examples can be found across Latin America in Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, and Argentina. Notably, a set of Spanish paintings exists in the Convent of Los Descalzos in Lima, showing not only John the Baptist but also Saints James, Paul, and Ishbosheth, not all of whom died by beheading.
– Kathryn Santner, Frederick and Jan Mayer Fellow of Spanish Colonial Art, 2023
