Artwork
Salome with the Head of John the Baptist
Salome with the Head of John the Baptist is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist David Teniers the Younger. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
David Teniers the Younger's 1650 oil painting depicts Salome presenting the severed head of John the Baptist.
David Teniers the Younger's 1650 oil painting depicts Salome presenting the severed head of John the Baptist. The work illustrates a specific moment from biblical narrative where the daughter of Herodias displays the martyr's head, traditionally following her dance that pleased Herod Antipas. As a piece of religious art executed on a small panel, the composition focuses intensely on the two central figures: the bearer of the head and the deceased prophet.
The iconography relies on the stark contrast between the living woman and the lifeless trophy she holds, a common visual trope in Baroque religious painting intended to evoke contemplation on martyrdom and the consequences of royal vice.
History & Provenance
David Teniers the Younger created the oil-on-panel painting Salome with the Head of John the Baptist in 1650. The work, measuring 22.5 cm in height and 17 cm in width, depicts the biblical figures Salome and John the Baptist within a religious miniature format.
The documented ownership chain includes Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood, followed by the Spencer-Churchill lineage, specifically John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough, and George Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
Overview
David Teniers the Younger’s oil painting, dated around 1650, presents the biblical episode of Salome receiving the head of John the Baptist. Executed in a compact format, the work now belongs to the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. The composition centers on a richly dressed woman holding a silver platter that bears the severed head, set against a darkened backdrop that heightens the visual impact.
Technique & Style
Teniers employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, using deep shadows to model the figures and make the scarlet of Salome’s dress and the gleam of her jewelry stand out. The delicate rendering of the silver tray and the subtle gradations of light on the flesh demonstrate his skill in handling oil pigments to achieve both texture and atmospheric depth.
Artist & collection
Artist
David Teniers the Younger or David Teniers II was a Flemish Baroque painter, printmaker, and artist.
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Salome with the head of John the Baptist
Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist
Salome with the Head of John the Baptist
Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist
Salome with the Head of John the Baptist
Salome with the head of St. John the Baptist
Salome with the Head of John the Baptist
Salome with the Head of St John the Baptist
Salome with the head of Saint John the Baptist
Salome with the Head of John the Baptist
Salome with the head of John the Baptist