'His head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel', mid 19th century. Biblical scene, from Matthew 14: 11: 'And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.' The martyrdom by beheading of Saint John the Baptist: John was beheaded on the orders of Herod Antipas after the vengeful request of his step-daughter Salome and her mother Herodias. Engraving after 'Salome Receiving the Head of St. John the Baptist', a painting of 1637 by Guercino, in the Mus?e Des Beaux-Arts, Rennes, France.