The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist

painting by Caravaggio

Key facts

Artist: Caravaggio
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 370 cm × 520 cm (150 in × 200 in)
Location: St. John's Co-Cathedral , Valletta

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Wikidata facts

Image: La decapitación de San Juan Bautista, por Caravaggio.jpg
Height: 361
Width: 520

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inception: 1608-01-01
Commons category: Beheading of Saint John the Baptist by Caravaggio
depicts Iconclass notation: 73C13

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Article

The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist is an oil painting by the Italian artist Caravaggio. Measuring 3.7 m by 5.2 m, it depicts the execution of John the Baptist. It is located in the Oratory of St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, Malta.

According to Andrea Pomella in Caravaggio: An Artist through Images (2005), the work is widely considered to be Caravaggio's masterpiece as well as "one of the most important works in Western painting." Jonathan Jones has described The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist as one of the ten greatest works of art of all time: "Death and human cruelty are laid bare by this masterpiece, as its scale and shadow daunt and possess the mind."