Tronie van de beul van Johannes de Doper c. 1658

This etching by Prinz Ruprecht portrays the executioner of John the Baptist. He is depicted with a turban, a headdress often associated with figures from the Orient in European art, which carries complex connotations of foreignness and otherness. The act of beheading, laden with symbolic meaning, appears throughout art history. Salome's demand for John’s head, a symbol of seductive power, is a recurring motif. Yet, this image focuses on the perpetrator, not the victim or instigator. Consider the executioner's averted gaze. Is it remorse, or indifference? The image evokes a deep psychological tension—the burden of carrying out such a brutal act and the detachment required to do so. The turban itself, might mask deeper cultural anxieties, anxieties that continue to resurface. The cyclical and non-linear progression of history ensures that such symbols continually evolve, taking on new meanings in different contexts.