The Johannesschüssel, also called Caput Iohannis in Disco or Saint John’s head on a platter, is a late medieval/early modern type of sculpture that was common in parts of Europe north of the Alps. The functions and uses of the Johannesschüssel are complex and heterogeneous. In this essay, I focus less on specific case studies, and more on the phenomenon of the Johannesschüssel, offering an interpretation of the relationship between these objects and the sensory apparatus.