Dish decorated with the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, Fontainebleau or Paris school

Oval dish from the Fontainebleau or Paris workshop, follower of Palissy, with historiated relief decoration in tones of brown, blue, ochre, and green depicting the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, the martyr put to death by decapitation on the order of Herod Antipas at the request of Herodias and her daughter Salome. In the foreground, Saint John the Baptist has just been beheaded, the executioner placing the head onto a dish held by Salome. In the background appears a chained man.

The composition is inspired by an engraving by Jan Sadeler (1550–1600) after Marten de Vos (1532–1603), dating from the late 16th century.

Two iconographic variants exist in post-Palissian production. One depicts, in the background, the Banquet of Herod, as in the source engraving. The other, as on the present dish, simply shows two barred windows.

17th century.

(Restorations)