I would like to direct you to several images of the Beheading of St. John the Forerunner of Christ, whose Feast we honor today.
I. Caravaggio (1571-1610), [1608] "The Beheading of St. John the Baptist"
Painted in 1608
Oil on canvas, 361 x 520 cm
May be viewed at Saint John Museum, La Valletta, Malta
To see this painting on the web, visit the following URL, which I accessed on 29 AUG 09: --> www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/c/caravag...
...also, consider the following website: -->
The website is caravaggio.com
The artist painted this work on the island of Malta, where the painting resides to this day.
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Painted circa 1488
Tempera on panel, 21 x 40,5 cm
You may view this painting in the Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy (source below)
Click on the following URL for an excellent image of this painting, which I accessed on 29 AUG 09: -->
www.lib-art.com/artgallery/7359-salome-w...
Notice the satisfied appearance on Salome's face, and Salome's proportionately smaller head size. Salome appears to be in a rush with John's severed head on the platter.
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III. Finally, click on the following URL to visit a Byzantine icon of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist:
www.goarch.org/chapel/saints/182
The URL, above, leads to a Byzantine icon depicting the beheading of St. John the Baptist. Note that a young woman, dressed in the color of the martyrs, readies a basket to receive the severed head of the Forerunner. The girl's hair is braided; around the circumference of her temples she wears a golden diadem, which depicts the reward for the witness of Christ. Study the face of St. John, observing the calm appearance to his eyes in particular, and his apparent gaze in the direction of the red-dressed assistant. The eyes of the assistant are turned down and to the left, in the direction of her left hand, which supports the basket. Her attention is to her duty, and not the falling sword.