The oil depicts the execution of John the Baptist and is the only work that Caravaggio ever signed.
Explanation:
It is the only work by Caravaggio to bear the artist's signature, which he placed in red blood spilling from the Baptist's cut throat. There is considerable empty space in the image, but because the canvas is quite large the figures are approximately life-sized.
The skeleton bride might portray Calavera Catrina, who is fashioned after the Calaveras of José Guadalupe Posada, an artist Rivera held in high esteem.
