The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist
1608 · Oil on canvas · Oratory of St John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta
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This print
About this work
- Artist
- Caravaggio (1571–1610)
- Year
- 1608
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 361 × 520 cm
- Collection
- Oratory of St John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta
- Movement
- Baroque
In a prison courtyard the executioner, having struck with his sword, reaches for the knife at his belt to finish the job while Salome holds out a gold dish for the head, an old woman clutches her face, the gaoler points, and two prisoners watch through a barred window at the right. The figures occupy only the lower half of a canvas more than five metres wide; above them is bare stone wall and a great arched doorway. Caravaggio painted it in Malta in 1608 for the oratory of the Knights of St John in Valletta, where it still hangs, and signed it in the blood that runs from the saint's neck, the only signature on any of his works. It was painted during the few months he spent as a knight before his imprisonment and flight from the island, and it is the largest picture he ever made.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
An executioner bending over a fallen saint in a vast bare courtyard, in red, ochre and stone, a very wide, severe painting for a study, hallway or office at 36×24 in black. Stone grey, deep ochre or charcoal walls suit its emptiness; pair it with The Taking of Christ.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Baroque painting
- Era
- 17th century (1608)
- Orientation
- Landscape
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- hallway or entryway, study or library, home office, living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 36×24. Prints at 18×12, 24×16, 36×24 in — 18×12 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 24×16 above a console or sideboard; 36×24 as the statement piece above a sofa or headboard.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; natural wood lightens it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
