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The executioner reaches for his knife to complete the beheading as blood pools on the ground, witnessed by Salome with her platter and an old woman covering her ears.
Significance
Caravaggio's largest painting and only signed work—he signed it in the Baptist's blood. Painted to gain admission to the Knights of Malta, it remains in its original location.
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
361 cm × 520 cm
Location
St. John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta, Malta