A Piece of History

Master to fallen knight.

The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, is renowned as one of the most iconic of the 17th Century.

The entrance and adjacent window on the main façade of the Grand Master’s Palace in La Valetta is more than just a tourist’s viewpoint. It’s a world-famous landmark, admired by art aficionados the world over. This is because it serves as the background in the renowned painting The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610). The masterpiece is so famous, it’s been described as: “The painting of the 17th Century”.

The painting is characteristic of Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro technique, that is the use of strong contrasts between dark and light. It was a technique he popularised throughout his works, which focused on momentous scenes featuring violent struggles, torture and death. True to its namesake, this particular painting depicts the execution of John the Baptist. He is in the act of being beheaded, while nearby Salome stands with a golden platter for the head. Another woman stands by shocked at the wrongful killing, while a jailer issues instructions to the executioner. These details of the scene are not from the Bible, but rather from the Golden Legend, a collection of biographies of saints by Jacobus de Varagine.

Violence and death are themes that followed Caravaggio both in art and in life. The artist fled Milan after murdering a man in a fight, and subsequently received a death sentence. He ended up in Malta seeking refuge. He was briefly feted on his arrival in Malta and was even accepted into the Order of Saint John. This now famous painting was received in lieu of his passagio – his payment due to enter the Order. His time as a Knight lasted only six months, after which he was defrocked in absentia as a “foul and rotten” member by the Order.

The painting, however, remained in Malta. Today, it is still on display in the Oratory of the Co-Cathedral Above: Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio of Saint John in Valetta. Visitors can look closely to find Caravaggio’s signature, placed in the red blood spilling Main image: Oratory of the Co-Cathedral of Saint John in Valetta. from Saint John’s cut throat. It is the only known painting to bear Caravaggio’s signature.