From the early 16th century to the late 19th century, European artists had a fascination with the decapitation of John the Baptist, as told in Matthew 14:1-12. These pieces would often serve as devotionals, as the owners often believed that their prayers would be enhanced or magnified by the object. While there are some paintings in this display that are small enough to fit inside a home for devotional purposes, some are also larger in scale, to be displayed in churches and cathedrals.
By emphasizing his decapitated head, these pieces highlight the martyrdom of John the Baptist, and his devotion to the ministry of Jesus Christ. The other figures in the paintings also have a role to play. Different artists portray Salome and the executioner in different lights, showing their sinful nature through expressions of guilt, malice, or apathy. The story on display is violent by nature, and the artists do not shy away from showing the details. Each individual piece depicts the brutal nature of the decapitation, with blood, pale dead skin, and in some cases, the dead body itself. Through all of this, the artists are able to evoke a solemn, haunted feeling from the viewer, which in turn stresses the gravity of the murder.
Bernard van Orley
The Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist
c.1514–1515
Oil on Wood
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, 2020.233
Bernard Van Orley’s depiction of the event is one of the most brutal, with John’s dead body shown on the bottom of the canvas, with his hands bound by rope and blood shooting out from his neck. Among other people in frame, both the executioner and Salome are fully depicted. Here, her facial expression is happy, almost grateful to receive the head on a silver platter. Contrary to this, the other onlookers appear horrified, while the executioner seems defiant towards them. John’s freshly decapitated head is shown with a sorrowful expression, emphasizing the solemnity of his martyrdom.
Andrea Solario
Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist
c.1507-1509
Oil on Wood
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, 32.100.81
Among this display, Solario’s depiction is the earliest, dated c.1507-1509. The pale, dead face in the middle of the composition stands out against the bright clothes worn by Salome and the executioner, as well as the pitch black background, creating a visual black hole that emphasizes the head. Solario only depicts the arm of the executioner, putting the blood on Salome, who seems apathetic towards the murder. While this piece is less brutal and violent than some of the others, the lifelessness of John’s head creates unsettling, haunting imagery.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist
c.1608
Oil on Canvas
St. John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta, Malta
Caravaggio’s first piece in this display shows the brutality of the murder. This massive piece in St. John's Co-Cathedral is a snapshot of the executioner actively severing the head of John the Baptist, with blood shooting from his neck. Salome, the executioner, and the four other onlookers are standing against a dark background, while Saint John is laid against the lighter stone floor, showing his purity contrasted with the sinfulness of the other figures in frame.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
Salome receives the Head of John the Baptist
c.1609-1610
Oil on Canvas
The National Gallery, London, England
The next piece from Caravaggio, painted directly after the previous one, is a continuation of the story. The frame zooms in on the executioner, Salome, and her maidservant. Similar to Solario’s piece, the head, being held above the silver platter, is the focal point of the piece, and is shown dripping blood, pale and lifeless. The other figures in the frame seem uncomfortable with the execution. The elderly maidservant has a sorrowful expression, as she claps her hands under her chin, while both Salome and the executioner seem simply disgusted by the head, as Salome looks in the complete opposite direction from the head. Caravaggio is showing that the act is so vile, even the perpetrators are having difficulty coping with what transpired.
Gustave Moreau
Salome with the Head of John the Baptist
c.1876
Oil on Wood
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, 2018.289.6
Gustave Moreau’s earlier depiction of Salome and the head of John the Baptist contrasts a brilliant white light radiating from his head against the dark, night background. This shows the purity of Saint John contrasted against the sinfulness of Salome, who is pictured alone, the only living person in frame. Similar to Caravaggio’s second painting of the event, she is looking away from the head, wearing a sour, guilty expression. While there is no executioner in frame, the blood is dripping from the surface which the sword is resting against, showing that the blood is on her hands.
Gustave Moreau
The Apparition
c.1876-1877
Oil on Canvas
Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA
Like Caravaggio, Moreau began painting the next depiction of Salome and the head immediately after the previous one. This piece is the most unique, as it shows the head of John the Baptist, illuminated by a radiant halo, appearing before a seductive Salome, who appears to have been dancing before King Herod. The executioner holds the bloody sword, and yet the light shines on a fearful Salome, putting the blame on her. As the blood pours down from John’s disembodied floating head, he is looking down at Salome with a sorrowful, almost concerned expression, emphasizing his purity.
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