The Head of Saint John the Baptist on a Charger

Andrea Solari's Head of Saint John the Baptist on a Charger from around 1507 is a devotional image of startling realism. The severed head on a silver platter was a popular devotional subject that allowed painters to demonstrate their skill in rendering the boundary between life and death Altarpieces featuring rows of standing saints served both liturgical and devotional functions, identifying the church's patron saints and giving worshippers specific objects for personal prayer.

Solari's Leonardesque sfumato renders the dead saint's face with disturbing naturalism, the waxy pallor of the flesh and half-closed eyes creating a convincing image of death achieved through meticulous tonal gradation.