{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O111364"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O111364/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AH0791/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AH0791/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AH0791","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AF4022","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018KV2513","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2019LX2077","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O111364/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O111364","accessionNumber":"A.164-1946","objectType":"Panel","titles":[{"title":"Head of St John the Baptist","type":""}],"summaryDescription":"This alabaster panel depicts the head of St John the Baptist surrounded by saints. Alabaster, a fine grained form of gypsum, is a smooth marble-like stone that became popular during the late Middle Ages for the carving of religious sculpture. Softer than marble, it was much easier to carve and also considerably cheaper. England was an important European centre of alabaster production, with quarries outside Nottingham, York, Burton-on-Trent and London. From about 1380s, alabasters - both single devotional images and reliefs for altarpieces - were exported in considerable numbers to the continent where they were to survive, whereas in England such images were destroyed during the Reformation.","physicalDescription":"Alabaster panel depicting the head of St John the Baptist surrounded by saints. The head with forked beard is shown on a dish, and marked by the wound left by Herodias according to legend. Above, two angels hold a small, haloed figure representing the soul, below two kneeling angels support the dish, which has a legible inscription. The Agnus dei is between them. On the lower left of the panel the Virgin is enthroned, crowned and veiled holding the Christ child. On the lower left St. Catherine holding her emblem the wheel. Above the Virgin stands St. Peter in the papal triple crown and above St. Catherine an archbishop, probably St. Thomas Becket.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"alabaster","id":"AAT11101"}],"techniques":[{"text":"carving","id":"AAT53149"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"carved and painted alabaster","categories":[{"text":"Christianity","id":"THES48978"},{"text":"Sculpture","id":"THES48896"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"SCP","id":"THES48600"},"images":["2006AH0791","2006AF4022","2018KV2513","2019LX2077"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"009","id":"THES333489"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Panel","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"England","id":"x28826"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"15th century","earliest":"1400-01-01","latest":"1500-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by Dr. W L Hildburgh","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"27","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"20.6","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'Caput sci ihohanis [sic] baptiste i disco'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Alabaster panel depicting the head of St John the Baptist with saints, England, 15th century","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Combs Stuebe, Isabel, 'The Johannischüssel: from narrative to reliquary to Andachtsbild' in <u>Marsyas</u>, XIV, 1968-9, p. 7, fig. 7."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Cheetham, Francis. <u>English Medieval Alabasters</u>. Oxford: Phaidon-Christie's Limited, 1984, no. 246."},{"reference":{"text":"Boldrick, Stacy, &lt;i&gt;Wonder: Painted Sculpture from Medieval England&lt;/i&gt;, Leeds, Henry Morre Institute, 2002","id":"AUTH356059"},"details":"","free":""},{"reference":{"text":"Derveaux-Van Ussel, Gh. <i>Exposition de Sculptures Anglaises et Malinoises d'Albâtre</i>, Bruxelles : Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1967","id":"AUTH357931"},"details":"no.72","free":""},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Cheetham, Francis. <i>English Medieval Alabasters: With a Catalogue of the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum</i>. Oxford: Phaidon, Christie's, 1984, p. 322, cat. no. 246."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Williamson, Paul (ed.). <i>Object of Devotion: Medieval English Alabaster Sculpture from the Victoria and Albert Museum</i>. Exh. Cat, Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach, Florida and five other institutions. Alexandria, VA: Art Services International, 2010, pp. 60, 110-11, cat. no 18."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Smith, Kathryn A. '\"A Lanterne of Light to the People\": English Narrative Alabaster Images of John the Baptist in Their Visual, Religious and Social Contexts', <i>Studies in Iconography</i> 42 (2021): 53-94, here pp. 54-55, fig. 1."}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"John (Saint John the Baptist)","id":"N450"},{"text":"Catherine (Saint Catherine of Alexandria)","id":"N458"},{"text":"Becket, Thomas (Saint)","id":"N37"},{"text":"Mary (Virgin Mary)","id":"N480"},{"text":"Peter (Saint)","id":"N400"},{"text":"Jesus Christ","id":"N1515"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"plates (dishes)","id":"AAT42991"},{"text":"angels","id":"x30526"},{"text":"Agnus Dei","id":"x36212"},{"text":"halo","id":"x35202"},{"text":"tiara (papal)","id":"x36261"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["A.164-1946"],"accessionNumberNum":"164","accessionNumberPrefix":"A","accessionYear":1946,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2019LM5261","2019LN4506","2019LT3715"],"recordModificationDate":"2026-01-01","recordCreationDate":"2005-04-20","availableToBook":true}}