A muscular executioner, his shirt open and stained, stands at the center holding a sword in one hand and presenting the severed head of John the Baptist on a platter with the other. To the right, a richly dressed young woman with pale skin and golden hair adorned with a feathered headdress gazes intently at the head, her expression composed and her hand raised as if in contemplation. The scene is set against a massive stone wall, with the figures pressed close together in a shallow space, the drama heightened by the strong contrast of light and shadow.

Golden light falls from the upper left, illuminating the executioner's chest, the head of John, and the elaborate costume of the young woman, while the background recedes into darkness. The color scheme is dominated by ochres, browns, and deep greens, with flashes of white in the feathers and fur collar, and the paint is applied in loose, expressive strokes that model flesh and fabric with tactile realism. The composition draws the viewer’s attention to the confrontation between the executioner and the young woman, with the platter forming a visual bridge between their gazes.

On the far left, an elderly woman in a dark hooded garment clasps her hands together and looks downward with a sorrowful expression. Behind the executioner, a bearded man wearing a brown cap peers out from the shadow, his face partially obscured by darkness. To the right of the young woman, another female figure leans forward, her head bowed and her hands clasped, with a jeweled band in her hair.

A fourth figure, barely visible in the background at the upper right, wears a dark hat and looks toward the scene from the shadows. The lower edge of the painting shows the bound, pale torso of John the Baptist covered by a white cloth, with his hands tied at the wrists. Light grazes the feathered headdress and the fur collar, creating a subtle shimmer on the textures of the costume.

The stone wall in the background is constructed of large, roughly hewn blocks, with a vertical seam running behind the main figures. Loose, visible brushstrokes define the folds of the executioner’s shirt and the fur trim, while sharper lines accentuate the contours of the platter and sword.