- Title
- Beheading of Saint John the Baptist
- Date Made
- c. 1610
- Medium
- Engraving
- Dimensions
- Image: 2 9/16 × 2 1/16 in. (6.51 × 5.24 cm)
Sheet: 2 15/16 × 2 3/8 in. (7.46 × 6.03 cm)
Secondary support: 3 3/16 × 2 7/16 in. (8.1 × 6.19 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.2023.245.3
- Collecting Area
- Prints and Drawings
- Curatorial Notes
Done after a painting by Adam Elsheimer (1578−1610), who was interested in the dramatic lighting or chiaroscuro of Roman Baroque artists like Caravaggio, this print is filled with dynamic figures and boldly illuminated spectacle. The small, shadowy oval composition depicts the New Testament story of the beheading of Saint John the Baptist. At left stands the executioner, seen from behind, with the saint’s body at his feet. At right, the daughter of Herodias, known as Salome, receives the head on a charger, accompanied by an attendant with a torch and a bare-chested man who stands with his sword drawn. Stark highlights of bright light stream in at right, variously illuminating Salome’s arm, the saint’s head, and his lifeless body below; all else is enveloped in a velvety darkness. This small niello-like piece is remarkable for its effective concentration of a very dramatic scene into a small space.
Claire Spadafora Baes
2024