The original Biblical account of the martyrdom of John the Baptist says that Herod’s wife Herodias ordered it in revenge, as seen in these paintings.
Gozzoli
Instead of splitting scenes into separate frames as in comics, in the Renaissance they’d be integrated into a single image
Classical and mediaeval dress was simple, and not tailored much until after 1000 CE. Painters were also constrained by fresco and egg tempera.
In Florence, stories told in paintings became increasingly secular, and ingeniously integrated multiple scenes from the single story into one painting.
Showing two or more scenes from the same story in a single painting (multiplex narrative) is common, effective, and good art. Examples from Masaccio, Memling, Bosch, and more.
The Eclectic Light Company 