John the Baptist was the cousin of Jesus and died the year before Christ’s crucifixion. He was a preacher with a large following and this made King Herodias wary of his power. When the opportunity arose, he had John beheaded, ostensibly as a reward to Salome for performing a dance. The panel shows John’s head on a plate, as it was brought to Herodias. John’s death is seen as a premonition of the death of Christ and on this panel, at the bottom, we see Christ emerging from the tomb. Above John the Baptist’s head, two angels hold out a cloth: in religious imagery it was a convention to show angels gathering deceased souls in a napkin. On the left of the panel is Saint Peter holding a key and a book, and on the right a bishop with a mitre and cross-staff.