Description:
woman looking toward her left wearing elaborate, jeweled gown, bracelet on each arm, pearl necklace, earrings and pearls in hair, holding large platter toward her right containing a cloth and man's severed head; religion - Christian; woman; costume/uniform
Label Text:
In this depiction of the Biblical story of Salome, she is shown holding a silver charger bearing the head of John the Baptist. John was imprisoned by King Herod for denouncing his marriage to Herodias, Salome’s mother from a previous union. At the king’s birthday celebration, Salome danced before Herod, who offered to grant her whatever she desired, up to half of his kingdom. Urged by her mother, Salome chose the head of the Baptist, and Herod reluctantly ordered the saint’s death.
Carlo Dolci was known for his intensely religious paintings and attention to refined detail. Dolci painted this scene—which shows Salome as an elegantly dressed young woman averting her gaze from the grisly trophy—at least three or four times, but this may also be one of a number of seventeenth-century copies of his composition known to exist. At some point in its history, the Museum’s version was transformed into a secular subject by painting a still life of fruit on the charger to conceal the head of the Baptist. Before Salome was given to the Museum, the head was discovered by an art conservator as he was cleaning the canvas. He removed the overpaint to reveal the original composition.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=SC+1999.4 |
