This sculpture of Saint John the Baptist was carved by Alejo de Vahía —one of the most remarkable sculptors of 15th-century Castile— probably as part of a larger ensemble. The Cathedral of Palencia preserves a sculpture of Saint Mary Magdalene, the commission of which also documents a figure of Saint John the Baptist:
The altarpiece executed according to this contract was altered over the centuries, and it is known that the sculpture of Saint John was sold to the Convent of Santa Clara in Palencia. Afterwards, no further records of the work are known. Since the Magdalene is undoubtedly by Alejo de Vahía, it has become a key reference in defining the style of the artist. Art historian Joaquín Yarza Luaces suggested that the Saint John the Baptist mentioned alongside the Magdalene might be the sculpture now preserved in the Museu Frederic Marès. The sculpture in the Casacuberta Marsans Collection, of similar form, identical dimensions and comparable quality, had not yet been published when the expert proposed this identification and therefore could not be considered at the time as a possible candidate for the figure mentioned in the Salamanca commission.
“(…) one of Saint John the Baptist and another of the Magdalene, carved in sound, clean, and fine walnut wood, finished to perfection and delivered in Palencia, all at his expense except for what pertains to his own craft as an image-maker. Namely: with their attributes; and the figure of Saint John, measuring five and a half palmos of a vara, for the left-hand side of the Assumption in the centre; and that of the Magdalene, measuring five palmos of a vara, for the right-hand side of the Assumption at the top.”