Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist
1830
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1830
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
A woman in red holds a bloody head on a platter. The scene is dark except for a single candle. The light makes shadows look deeper. This painting uses watercolor in a way called glazing. Glazing means thin, see-through layers of color. It lets light pass through, so the white paper still shows through the paint. Look at how the candle’s glow hits the woman’s face. It makes her look calm, not upset. Try another painting by Bison, Giuseppe Bernardino.
![Mary Magdalene [verso]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/8b62d2d37815f802/thumb.webp)
