Proper left side of the head repaired with plaster in several places, with repaired vertical cracks extending through the cheek, below the ear, and two running diagonally across the side of the cheek. Also repaired across back of head. A section of hair approximately three inches long and two inches wide on proper left side of top of head with losses and restoration. Part of neck on proper left side lacking. Aperture at top of head. Scattered chips, losses, and wear. Beautiful quality.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The image of the head of Saint John the Baptist on a charger was known by 1206, when a relic of Saint John’s head was brought to Amiens where a cathedral was built to house it. The reliquary attracted throngs of pilgrims due to the object's reputed healing powers. It was a popular motif in art by the end of the fifteenth century and continued through the seventeenth century, and a number of Northern late Renaissance painters depicted the Saint’s head, including Rogier van der Weyden and Dieric Bouts. Sculptors from the North often employed alabaster and marble in their representations of the Saint; see a sculpture in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, circa 1500 (BK-1998-1) and in the Statens Museum für Kunst, Copenhagen, dated 1586-1600 (inv. no. KMS5512))

The macabre theme is depicted here without the charger. The treatment of the facial features reveals a knowledge of the early Northern representations of the Baptist as well as an understanding of the French late Renaissance sculptural idom. The work of the Pilon and Richier schools comes to mind. Perhaps a more striking comparison is with the work of Jean Goujon who was a leading artist in the Fontainbleau school. See Goujon's relief of the Deposition in the Louvre and in pℱarticular of the hea🥃ds of the male figures and Christ's head  (Inv. M. R 1731). 

Saint John was arrested for criticizing King Herod’s incestuous marriage to Herodias, the wife of his brother. Herodias&rsqu💦o;s daughter Salome delighted the king by dancing during a banquet, and as a result, Herod offered to give her whatever she wished. Herodias, seeking revenge against John the Baptist, instructed her daughter to request his head on a platter. At the request of his stepdaughter Salome, Herod ordered the beheading of John the Baptist.

This lot is sold with a copy of a Thermoluminescence certificate, sample no. N113d52,  from Oxford Authentication Ltd. stating that the sculpture was last fired between 200 and 400 years ago.