The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist

The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist (1608) by Caravaggio. Its palette is led by bistre (#251c12, 69%) and dark brown (#46331c, 20%), with accents of pale gold and scarlet orange. Overall the canvas is dark, muted and warm.

Color note

Caravaggio set brightly lit figures against near-black backgrounds, the dramatic style called tenebrism. His palette was simple, earth colors, lead white, black and vermilion: the drama comes from light, not hue.

Palette

#251c12 MG 219 bistre 69.2% of canvas
#46331c MG 169 dark brown 20.2% of canvas
#6c552f MG 184 umber 5.2% of canvas
#998046 MG 039 gold 2.7% of canvas
#d7bc7d MG 036 pale gold 1.9% of canvas
#d3632f MG 026 scarlet orange 0.7% of canvas

Color families

Black 61%, Brown 35%, Yellow 2%, Orange 0%, White 0%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.27
Contrast: 0.41
Vividness: 0.021
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 100 cells
Hue range: 0.27
Focus: 0.24

Composition

51% of the visual weight is in the right half, 65% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.17 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 66% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 16% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1608
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 361.0 × 520.0 cm
Genre: religious art
Collection: St. John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta

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