Attributed to Jodocus Vredis (Vreden, Germany,... Lot n° 7

Attributed to Jodocus Vredis (Vreden, Germany, 1473 - Marienburg, Dülmen, 1540) "Head of Saint John the Baptist". Patinated bronzemedallion. 17,5 x 17,5 x 2 cm. As stated by Gerhard Grabher, deputy director of the Austrian Vorarlberg Museum, numerous copies of the head of St John the Baptist were made from the relic of a head preserved in Amiens Cathedral, especially between the 15th and 17th centuries, when the cult of St John and pilgrimages grew strongly and representations of his head became established as a special form of veneration. Images of the saint's head were considered to cure headaches, sore throats and infertility. An example like ours, also made by Jodocus Vredis, this time in ceramic, is kept in the Landesmuseum in Münster, Germany. Both have on the rim of the plate the inscription "INTERNAT MVLIE NO SVRE MA IOHA' BAP", referring to the popular phrase taken from the Gospel of Saint Matthew (Mt 11:11) "Inter natos mulierum, non surrexit maior Ioanne Baptista" (Among those born of women there hathnotrisen a greater than John the Baptist). Bibliographic references: - Baert, Barbara (2012). "Caput Johannis in Disco: Essay on a Man's Head". Brill. - Voralberg Museum (n.d.). "Sehen, wer wir sind. 100 Objekte aus der Sammlung des vorarlberg museums.".https://www.vorarlbergmuseum.at/ausstellungen/sehen-wer-wir-sind/top-100/