Why it matters
Three arched panels show the birth of John the Baptist, his baptism of Christ and his beheading, with Salome receiving his head on a plate. Painted reliefs in the arches make the scenes seem set in a church.
Did you know?
- It was painted around 1455.
- It is closely related to van der Weyden's Miraflores Altarpiece.
- A near-contemporary copy is in Frankfurt.
- It featured in the 1980 BBC series 100 Great Paintings.
Based on the Wikipedia article Saint John Altarpiece (van der Weyden) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
