Decapitation of Saint John the Baptist. Line engraving by Rivers, 1813, after G. Douw.

  • Dou, Gerard, 1613-1675.
Date:
1813
Reference:
43536i
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Decapitation of Saint John the Baptist. Line engraving by Rivers, 1813, after G. Douw. Wellcome Collection. Public Domain Mark. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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Description

Saint John the Baptist was the son of Saint Elizabeth, a relative (Greek "syngenis") of the Virgin. He was therefore a relative of Jesus Christ. His father was Zacharias. He is often depicted wearing camel's hair; with a lamb, referring to his description of Christ as the "Lamb of God"; with a cross of reeds held sometimes by him and sometimes by the lamb; and pointing with his index finger, to indicate his role as annunciator of Christ. His martyrdom by decapitation led to his being invoked especially against diseases associated with the head, such as migraine, epilepsy ("le mal Saint-Jean") and quinsy

Publication/Creation

London (2 Ivy Lane) : S.A. Oddy, 1813.

Physical description

1 print : line engraving, with etching ; image 15 x 11.8 cm

Reference

Wellcome Collection 43536i

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