A finely painted eighteenth-century icon of the Beheading of St John the Baptist. The central scene shows St John dressed in a goatskin, bowing beneath the executioner’s sword. Below lies his already decapitated body, next to it is a chalice containing the head. In the top-right corner, St John is shown imprisoned, receiving a crown of martyrdom from an angel descending to him from heaven. On the left, the executioner is shown giving St John’s head to Herodias’ daughter, Salome. Above, Salome is handling it to her mother. In the upper centre, is Lord Sabaoth sitting on a throne, surrounded by cherubs. The scenes are painted within an illusionistic architectural setting and surrounded by a painted decorative frame.
