alabaster

This is a fragment of a late 15th-century alabaster carving of the head of Saint John the Baptist on a dish supported by two angels. Alabaster heads of Saint John the Baptist were very popular during this period – more than 90 examples still survive. They are recorded in household inventories from about 1480 to 1540.

Alabaster is a mineral composed from gypsum and is softer and easier to work with than marble. The production of alabaster sculptures flourished in England from the 14th to the early 16th century. Often finely decorated, brightly painted and gilded, alabaster sculptures were made for churches, for the nobility and for owners of private chapels. Less elaborate and more affordable examples were also produced for more modest homes. This example would originally have been painted and gilded. There is a painted and gilded alabaster head of Saint John the Baptist, dated from 1470-1490 at the Victoria and Albert Museum, which gives a sense of how this one might have looked when decorated.

The gory subject relates to the story of King Herod’s wife, Herodias, who wanted revenge on John the Baptist (Christ’s cousin) for questioning the legitimacy of her marriage. Herod asked Herodias’ daughter Salome what gift she would like as a reward for her dancing. At her mother’s order, Salome asked for the head of John the Baptist. Once he had been killed, his head was presented to Salome on a platter. According to legend, Herodias stabbed the head – the wound is shown here over John the Baptist’s left eye. The wound is a common feature on English alabasters of this subject.

By the 11th century the image of the Saint’s head appeared in Byzantine illuminated manuscripts. Its popularity as an image spread throughout Europe and was particularly popular in Germany. This was largely due to veneration of the preserved facial skull remains of the saint, which has been an important relic at Amiens Cathedral since 1206 (although now a replica is on display).

Devotion to Saint John the Baptist was particularly popular among the medieval guilds – the organisations that regulated and oversaw the different trades and professions. During the medieval period there were 120 guilds with Saint John the Baptist as their patron saint in the diocese of Norwich alone. It is likely that this head was owned and used in the context of a guild as well as for personal prayer. Although it is damaged and worn, we can still appreciate its fine carving. The stylised pattern of curls on the saint’s locks of hair and beard add an attractive decorative quality to what would otherwise be a rather grizzly image.

This piece may have been produced by the same workshop as the Saint Catherine panels in the Society of Antiquaries, which were made after 1486.