This vividly carved and painted relief of The Beheading of St John the Baptist, dated 1531, forms part of the sculptural decoration of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame at Amiens. Executed in richly coloured stone, the work exemplifies the transition from the late Gothic to the early Renaissance in northern France, combining dynamic composition with meticulous craftsmanship.

The scene unfolds before a fortress-like architectural backdrop, rendered in miniature detail with turrets and arches, evoking the confines of Herod’s prison. In the foreground, the executioner, dressed in contemporary armour, stands poised beside the lifeless body of the Baptist, the severed head placed upon a platter held by Salome, who turns with composed grace toward Herodias standing behind her. The figures are sculpted with an arresting naturalism: expressive faces, finely tooled garments, and traces of original gilding and pigment that once intensified the drama of the scene.

The sculptor captures the moment of grim ritual with both theatrical clarity and spiritual gravity. The contrast between the executioner’s coarse realism and the serene beauty of Salome and Herodias embodies the moral tension of the episode—the triumph of vanity and violence over prophetic truth. Stylistically, the relief reflects the refined artistry of the Picard school during the early sixteenth century, influenced by Flemish naturalism and Italianate design.

Despite the passage of nearly five centuries, much of its original polychromy survives, lending warmth and immediacy to the stone. The work remains one of the most compelling narrative reliefs in the sculptural ensemble of Amiens Cathedral, a testament to the vitality of religious art on the threshold of the Renaissance and to the enduring power of the story of St John the Baptist’s martyrdom.