Salomé in Art & Painting
Fictional character Salomé lived in Judea between AD 14 and 71. Her Hebrew name is שלומית (Shlomit) means “peace” and was used as the typical “hello” greeting of the time. According to tradition, Salome was the stepdaughter of Herod Antipas (ruler of Judea), and danced before him on his birthday. This so delighted Herod that he promised her mother a favour, which was the beheading of John the Baptist.
Christian traditions depict her as an icon of dangerous female seductiveness, for instance depicting as erotic her dance mentioned in the New Testament, or concentrate on her lighthearted and cold foolishness that, according to the gospels, led to John the Baptist’s death.
Often the subject of fine art, below I have gathered as many examples of Salomé in painting or sculpture as possible, and arranged them chronologically. If you can think of any that I’ve missed, please leave a link in the comments!
Salome with the head of John the Baptist (1488) Tempera on Panel by Sandro Botticelli
Salome with the Head of John the Baptist (1515) by Titian (Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome)
Salome (1515) by Cesare da Sesto
Salome receiving the Head of John the Baptist (1527) by Bernardino Luini
Salome (1530) Oil on Board by Lucas Cranach the Elder
Salome (1610) Oil on Canvas by Caravaggio
Judith with the Head of Holofernes (1613) by Christofano Allori
Salome (1865) Oil on canvas by Pierre Bonnaud
The Tatooed Salomé (1876), Oil by Gustave Moreau
Salome and the Apparition of the Baptist’s Head, watercolor by Gustave Moreau
Salome (unknown) by Gustave Moreau
Salome (1875) in watercolor by Gustave Moreau
Salome dancing before Herod (1876) by Gustave Moreau
Salome in the Garden (1878) in watercolor by Gustave Moreau
Salome (1870) by Henri-Alexandre-Georges Regnault
Salome (1889) Oil on Canvas by Leon Herbo
Salome (1890) by Ella Ferris Pell
Salome (1893) in Pastels by Odilon Redon
Salome (1897) by Alphonse Maria Mucha
Salome (1900) Oil on Canvas by Lovis Corinth
Salome (1906) by Franz von Stuck
Salome (1907) by Vardges Surenyants
Salome (1909) Oil on Canvas by Robert Henri
Judith I / Giuditta I (Salomé) (1905) by Gustav Klimt
Judith II / Giuditta II (Salomé) (1909) by Gustav Klimt
Salome with the Head of St. John the Baptist (1910) Oil on Board by Adolf Frey-Moock
Salome (1914) by Gaston Bussiere
Salome (1923) starring Alla Nazimova
Salome (1918) lost film starring Theda Bara
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Those pix with head of John are most impressive… which makes me wondering is Salome a cruel woman with cold blood?! but anyway, religious pix are a little too sophisticated.
The story is that she danced for the king, who was so impressed with it that he promised her mother any favour she wanted–and the wicked mother said “the head of John the prophet.” So Salomé herself is not wicked, but the whole affair certainly is…
The historical figure of Salome is interesting. She first appeared in the Bible as an innocent daughter that was forced to ask for the head of John the Baptist. It wasn’t until around the time of these paintings that her image began to change.
Wendy, you make a very, very intelligent observation, “is Salome a cruel woman with cold blood?”
In the Bible she was not, but after these paintings began to appear, the image of her began to change. These paintings show Salome as a seducer. The mass population actually made her to be a cannibal! A very famous opera was written called Salome where, in it, Salome asks for the head of John the Baptist but finds out after the beheading that she is in love with him. Very tragic. Throughout all of this we must keep in mind though that Salome was a Jew and her Jewish heritage is a VERY big deal.
People, after the opera and paintings, associated Salome with the Jewish culture and people. Salome was the word used to greet other Jews in Hebrew and this tie brought upon many terrible stereotypes. Salome became an anti-semitic icon that was spread throughout the world.
So when you say “Is Salome a cruel woman with cold blood?” The answer is unfortunately yes. But it was not always the case. Very interesting and deep topic.
Fascinating interpretations of Salome. “Was she the innocent teenager, manipulated by Herodias?”
I have just completed two Digital ” Pictures”.
The” Penitence of Salome” and ” Judith and the Head of Holophernes”. The neighbours were very understanding and co-operated, Head on the Salver ( Neighbour) with another in Scarlet as Salome quite challenging expecially as the Light source was five hidden candle. Gordon Joslin
the hebrew hero judith is not the same person as salome. paintings depicting her and the head of slain general holofernes should not be included in a history of salome & john the baptist.
Why do you term the biblical Salome “fictional”?
because the Bible is a work of fiction
Salome in Bronce, 2009
+ all of Aubrey Beardsley’s illustrations of salome inc. this one
I think its great that you have displayed all these different takes from different artist period and styles. Salome is a fantastic subject that displays the daringness of the sexual politics of the times. you forgot Aubrey Beardsley’s illustration for Oscar Wilde’s version of salome.
It would be nicer to see what’s your take on these different artifacts.