Carving of the Head of John the Baptist

English

Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery

1475 - 1525

The severed head of John the Baptist is on a dish in the middle of the panel. On either side are figures of St Peter and St Thomas a Becket, above two angels support St John's soul in a mandorla, below is Christ the Man of Sorrows. Such heads were usually a single object for domestic devotion, rather than as part of an altarpiece. Two holes in the back suggest it was fixed by latten wires to a small wooden cupboard for display.

• Medium: alabaster
• Dimensions: 30 cm
• Art Fund Grant: £2287 ( Total: £9,150)
• ArtFunded in: 1985
• Vendor: Ronald A Lee

Provenance

Ronald Lee.

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