Beheading of the John of Baptist

In light of the feast day of John the Baptist’s birth (June 24) and our Gospel lesson of his beheading this Sunday, London’s National Gallery has provided a great way to immerse yourself in his story—through art! The museum has produced a ten-video series called Saint John the Baptist: From Birth to Beheading, in which Professor Ben Quash, director of the Centre for Arts and the Sacred at King’s College, joins Dr. Jennifer Sliwka, curator of art and religion at the National Gallery, for a stroll through the museum and some nearby sites to discuss various works of art in which John appears.

Their analysis of the paintings in this video series is very accessible to those with no art background, and familiarity with Christianity isn’t assumed either. There are ten videos—about eight minutes each. The two pertaining to artworks depicting John's death are embedded below.

Artworks: Caravaggio’s The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist at St. John’s Co-Cathedral in Malta; Pierre-Cécile Puvis de Chavanne’s The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist

Artworks: Caravaggio’s Salome receives the Head of John the Baptist; Ana Maria Pacheco’s Study of Head (John the Baptist III) at a private residence