Saxon & Medieval — Early Medieval; early 13th century
St John the Baptist
Pilgrim badge of St John the Baptist from the shrine at Amiens in France. The cult began at Amiens in 1206 when the crusader Walon de Sarton brought back part of John the Baptist’s skull and its silver dish after the sack of Constantinople. Pilgrims flocked to Amiens cathedral to see the relic and bought souvenirs of their visit. This circular badge depicts John the Baptist’s head on a plate. He has large almond-shaped eyes and a beard shown by several straight lines radiating from his mouth and nose. The edge of the badge is damaged but there are the remains of a garbled inscription saying ‘IOHANNIS’ (‘John’). Part of a stitching hole survives on the top left side of the badge, indicating that it would have been sewn onto a pilgrim’s hat or clothes. The saint is probably shown with such large eyes in the belief that his menacing look would protect the wearer of the badge from evil spirits.
- Category:
- Saxon & Medieval
- Object ID:
- 79.327/5
- Object name:
- St John the Baptist
- Object type:
- Artist/Maker:
- —
- Related people:
- Related events:
- Related places:
- Production date:
- Early Medieval; early 13th century
- Material:
lead alloy
- Measurements/duration:
- H 24 mm, W 21 mm (overall)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 100%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
Permanent collection
- Copyright holder:
digital image © London Museum
- Image credit:
- —
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.