Today is the feast of the beheading or decollation of St John the Baptist.
Recent archaeological work in the Holy Land has identified what is claimed to be the site of St John’s imprisonment and martyrdom as can be seen at An unbelievable discovery: Uncovering the site of John the Baptist’s martyrdom
I have commented on other occasions as to how the cult of the Great Forerunner has largely disappeared from the contemporary Church. In the middle ages and during the Counter or Catholic reformation devotion to him was obviously strong on the basis of the numbers of surviving paintings. Most of these are conciously dramatic in their style with the figures frozen in statuesque poses in the semi- darkness of Herod’s prison.
Earlier depictions are more varied and often record things in what was to the artist a contemporary setting.
Rogier van der Weyden ( c.1399-1464 ) St John Altarpiece.
Dated to 1455
Gemäldegalerie Berlin
Image: Wikipedia
The right hand panel
Image: mediastorehouse.com
There is a Wikipedia article about the painting at St John Altarpiece
The beheading of St John the Baptist
The left wing of the Two John’s Tryptich by Hans Memling 1471
Memling Museum Bruges
Image: Arthive
An English alabaster panel of the beheading of St John dated to 1480 - 90 which retains quite a lot of its original colouring. Another type of depiction were small alabaster plaques of the saint’s head facing outward from the platter for domestic devotion.
Image: Victoria and Albert Museum
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