Title
The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist
painter
Master of Palanquinos [attributed to] (Active in León between 1470-1500)
Generic classification
PaintingObject
PaintingDate
ca. 1490-1500Century
Late 15th c.Cultural context / style
Hispano-FlemishDimensions
42 7/8 × 29 inMaterial
PanelIconography / Theme
San Juan BautistaProvenance
Possible origin from Castile and Leon (Castilla y León, Possible origin from Castile and Leon, Spain)Current location
The Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago, United States)Inventory Number in Current Collection
1984. 19Object history
Although Gómez-Moreno (1925) was the first to speak of the Maestro de Palanquinos, it was Post (1947) who expanded the catalog of the artist's works. Thus, he attributed this panel to the Master of Palanquinos (Post, 1947; Gaya Nuño, 1958; Camón Aznar, 1966; Santonja, 2004; Berg, 2008; Franco Mata, 2010; Escorihuela, 2017). The provenance of this painting is unknown, but if we take into account the places where the master worked, it seems plausible to think that it could have been somewhere in the current diocese of Valladolid, Astorga, León or Burgos (Escorihuela, 2017). In the early twentieth century the piece was in the collection of the politician George F. Harding, becoming part of the George F. Harding Museum in the thirties. In 1976 an attempt was made to sell the panel at public auction at Sotheby's (New York, lot. 240), however, no buyer was found and the piece was withdrawn. Finally, in 1984 it was transferred to the Art Institute of Chicago, where it remains today.
Description
The panel depicts the scene of the beheading of St. John the Baptist. The saint is on his knees with his hands tied and his neck emanating blood. Meanwhile, an executioner places his head on a silver tray held by Salome. Completing the scene are five figures on the right, four of them soldiers, witnessing the execution. Although there are some differences in the treatment of the theme, the image recalls that of Villalón de Campos. Likewise, the architectural scheme continues the forms of Nicolo Florentino. The four richly attired characters leaning out of the balconies also stand out (Escorihuela, 2017).
Locations
XVth c.
Early XXth c. - 1939
private collection
George F. Harding, Jr., Chicago (United States) *
ca. 1939 - ca. 1976
ca. 1976
auction house
Sotheby's, Nueva York / Londres
1984 - present
Bibliography
- BALLESTÉ ESCORIHUELA, Marc (2017): De la pintura Hispano-flamenca al primer Renacimiento en las antiguas diócesis de León y Astorga: El Maestro de Palanquinos y el Maestro de Astorga (c. 1480-1540), Universidad de Lleida (Tesis doctoral), Lleida, pp. 106-107.
- BALLESTÉ ESCORIHUELA, Marc (2019): "Tablas de nuevos maestros castellanos anteriormente atribuidas al Maestro de Palanquinos (h. 1480-1500)", Archivo Español de Arte, vol. 92, nº 367.
- BERG SOBRÉ, Judith et al. (2008): Northern European and Spanish Paintings before 1600 in the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, pp. 89-92.
- CAMÓN AZNAR, José (1966): Pintura medieval española, Summa artis 22, Madrid, p. 589.
- FRANCO MATA, Ángela (2010): "Arte medieval leonés fuera de España", nº 3, e-art documents, p. 320.
- GAYA NUÑO, Juan Antonio (1958): La pintura española fuera de España (historia y catálogo), Espasa-Calpe, Madrid, p. 263.
- POST, Chandler Rathfon (1947): A History of Spanish Painting, vol. 9 (The Beginning of the Renaissance in Castile and Leon), nº 2, Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Massachusetts), pp. 800-801.
- SANTONJA, Gonzalo (2004): Museo de niebla: el patrimonio perdido de Castilla y León, Ámbito, Valladolid, p. 82.
Record manager
Isabel Escalera FernándezCitation:
Isabel Escalera Fernández, "The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist" in Nostra et Mundi. Cultural Heritage from Castile and Leon around the world, Fundación Castilla y León, 2025. https://inventario.nostraetmundi.com/en/work/301
The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist
Art Institute of Chicago, USA.
Art Institute of Chicago, USA.
