The Head of St. John the Baptist on a Gold Dish

From the 15th century the head of St John the Baptist on a dish was a common theme in Netherlandish painting. Its popularity lasted until the 17th century, when this work was probably made. The image is associated with the cult of relics and of St John the Baptist as the forerunner of Christ. St John’s death is recounted in the Gospels as instigated by Herodias, after he criticised her marriage to Herod, her former brother-in-law. Representations of the beheading usually include the figure of Herodias’s daughter Salome, who requested the Saint’s head on a dish.