St John the Baptist and Four Saints

Above the central figure of John the Baptist are Sts Philip and Stephen, below Sts Andrew and Thomas. The grave image of St John, staring straight ahead and blessing with his right hand, is shown in the manner of Christ Pantocrator (with the right hand raised in blessing).

The plaque is a masterpiece of technical virtuosity, but because of the extreme fragility of the leaf work and the thinness of the backgrounds to the roundels, it has suffered significant damage.

The plaque has been stylistically associated with the ivory panels on a casket now in the Bargello in Florence, which also includes half-length figures of St. John the Baptist, Philip, Andrew and Thomas.