A stunning representation of a gruesome act. Wonderful capture. I wish I could be a "mere craftsman".

Interesting capture.

A wonderful capture of what is obviously a masterpiece of craftsmanship. It seems unfortunately typical of the world we live in that many great artists never get the respect they deserve. I loved reading about the history as well. Very nicely done.

This is a masterpiece and I’m very happy that it was saved and is still being displayed. Well captured and a great share and information. Dana

Fantstic work of art erland

I had never heard of this work of art and of its history. Thank you for sharing this stunning and mind-inspiring capture.

Great picture!

This looks so very different from my version I have - as a poster by Aubrey Beardsley (English illustrator & author 1872-1898) but still arouses the same passion in me, of liking the unusual & sometimes weird & wonderful. BB

beautiful craftsmanship and your capture is really good

Interesting piece of art. Superb shot!

I enjoy it very much to learn from your images! a very intriguing photo of an intriguing object. superb

Excellent work in gold. The Renaissance masters chose "shocking" Bible subjects as a sign of faith and because they could get away with them because the church couldn't complain.

Excellent capture and interesting information.

Impressive! For sure is a masterpiece and the expression of great pain on the face is impossible to describe!

...sono daccordo con te. E' veramente molto interessante.

A work of memories my Beautiful . An excellent narrative. And poor JeanBaptiste who lost his head ((5++)) Un travail de mémoires ma Belle . Une narration excellente . Et pauvre Jean-Baptiste qui perdit la tête ((5++))

Fascinating background on this art piece. I am moved to also include that while a lot of relics may not be authentic to the saints; many of them are genuine.

Ohh Myy :) Sweet capture

I like the information you've provided with this. I would have loved to see the looks on the faces of those wealthy patrons when they were confronted with this collection plate. Quite a site to say no, a graphical reminder of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. After that, what's a few gold coins? We would describe it as, "in your face".

Superb capture of an amazing piece of art...the eyes are so interesting..the sight has gone. Thanks for your info, Sandra, as it saves me trying to find it ! I missed this somehow last week

Great, when i first looked without reading the oratory,i thought it was Charles the first of England,good one Sandy.

I realize up till now that I've spoken more about the art you've chosen than about your words; even though your words are what spurs all discussion. So I want to say, at the 30% point in your series, that there is no one else here like you, at least that I have seen; and I doubt I'd find someone else if I looked through all the galleries. You draw on a great deal of knowledge & insight for each of your uploads, and then uncannily sift through & extract the necessary points from it (itself a daunting task for most of us), then weave it all into a commentary; and pose, with the ease of a master, provocative & always wise conclusions. (This will be in my dedi...just be patient a little longer, lol...dedis are the longest projects I do here, and having just come back, I'm not quite there yet. I wish that weren't the case, but I'll get there.) In the process, you open the eyes of everyone. I've studied no anthropology, yet everytime I read you, I not only learn whole worlds I didn't know before, but am inspired to study more, think more, and rethink more. In this description alone, you told me totally new things (to me) & still managed to draw it all into the larger questions of art. (I never knew pieces like this existed, I mean never!) I remember my days in graduate studies: Your efforts to reach a public just weren't encouraged back then---part of it was the institution I was at (U. of Chicago was known for being "purist" re non-academic audiences), and part was that, after months of academic research, we just lost the ability to write for the public. (I had trouble writing "hello" without providing sources. It's no joke, lol, I felt I needed a box of index-card references to say "yeah, where's the bathroom?") I know there are a number of professionals who have the ability you do, but there are many who don't; and seeing your consistently engaged, caring, and always reader-aware uploads is just a gift. How you winnow so much background & experience into these uploads is a mystery to me; but it's certainly one of your great strengths on RR. And it makes your gallery unique. Re this piece: Yes, it is an amazing piece of religious art. And it captures a part of religion that was once key to Christianity---the confrontation with visceral death, and the yearning for something beyond. The latter still is key, I assume, but the former has receded in many communities. Platters like this remind us that the Church started out with naked confrontations of death & the moment you write about: The passage between life & death. And I know that, for a Christain, that meant the intervention of the divine; in fact, at that very moment. People forget that the Epistle writers (who faced murder constantly) were obsessed with the 'life to come'. That they believed it awaited them at the very next turn in the road. It was immanent, Christ's return was immanent; and platters like this would've been natural for them. (A Benedictine monk told me that a monk he knew actually had "End of Days" on his watch, just past the "12".) It's no surprise that the Renaissance still created these symbols, coming on the heels of an age wracked with death & disease. And I suppose giving alms on this platter reminded one that---accdg to the Church---you'll be felled by disease or human hands anyway, so you might as well give charity now rather than wait for tomorrow. It's what we called "the reeeeeealllly heavy sell," lol. (Like yogis who meditate on cremation grounds, or that same benedictine who was told to get into his own coffin to remind himself of his mortality. I asked him if he ever did; he said, "yep". I said, "Yep? That's it, just 'yep'??? Didn't you freak out???" He said, "freak out? I had such a cramp in my neck, who cared about freaking out!"). These monks slapped their fellow christians in the face with mortality right off the bat. No 'easing into it': Maybe that's part of why pieces like this were disregarded by the academy. In any case, the craftsmanship & detail, here, are stunning. Well, thank you again for another expert upload & all the questions you raise; and of course, for another amazing image. I'll get to your current uploads eventually:--I haven't forgotten, lol! It's just, when I'm through commenting on this series, I'm usually out of words, so I've kind of put your current works on hold. But I'm looking, and your new Autumn series is a gem. I'll be back soon...