English, probably Nottingham, 15th century

Professor Otto Seitz;

His sale, Hugo Helbing, Munich, 4 November 1912, lot 1245;

Where acquired by Hauptlehrer Reiner, Munich;

His sale, Hugo Helbing, Munich, 9 May 1916, lot 534;

Sotheby's, London, 29 March 1979, lot 73;

Sotheby's, London, 3 July 1981, lot 229;

Private collection Belgium;

From whom acquired by the present owner

F. Cheetham, Alabaster Images of Medieval England, Woodbridge, 2003, p. 156, no. 9

Representations of the head of Saint John the Baptist were a speciality of alabaster carvers in and around Nottingham, and they played an important role in domestic worship during the 15th century. Some such carvings survive in their original wooden housings, which indicate their use as portable altars.

This finely carved relief is listed by Cheetham (op. cit. 2003) under 'Type C', which includes a representation of the Agnus Dei and supporting angels. A closely comparable composition, which has also been cut down at the top corners, is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (inv. no. A204-1946).

RELATED LITERATURE

F. Cheetham, English Medieval Alabasters: With a Catalogue of the Collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum, Oxford, 1984, p. 321, no. 245