# Salome [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [LUINI, Bernardino]() - Date: 1501-1550 - Technique: Tempera on panel, 51 x 58 cm ## Commentary Until 1793 the painting was attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. Then it was recognised as the work of his Lombardian follower, Luini. The absence of biographical information on this painter makes a reconstruction of his cultural background somewhat difficult, although his airy perspective constructions would certainly suggest a link with the Venetian school. Luini was a prolific artist of easel paintings, mostly of religious subjects, with which - as this Herodias reveals - he arrived at a type of classicising painting, rich in chiaroscural intensity, the prelude to an almost North European-style pathos. The biblical source for the painting is Matthew 14:6-11 or Mark 6:21-8, where the daughter of Herodias danced for her stepfather, Herod, on his birthday. As a reward he promised her anything she wanted and, prompted by her mother, she chose the head of Saint John the Baptist, which she then carried to Herodias on a silver charger. The daughter subsequently became known in literature as Salome, and the theme was memorably treated in the nineteenth century by Richard Strauss and Oscar Wilde amongst others. It is also assumed that the depicted figure is not Salome but Herodias. The painting was restored in 1977. You can view <A onclick="return OpenOther\('/cgi-bin/search.cgi?author=&\#38;title=Salome+AND+Baptist&\#38;comment=&\#38;time=any&\#38;school=any&\#38;form=any&\#38;type=any&\#38;location=&\#38;header=0&\#38;other=0&\#38;showauthor=1&\#38;caption=Salome+with+the+Head+of+John+the+Baptist'\)" HREF="/cgi-bin/search.cgi?author=&\#38;title=Salome+AND+Baptist&\#38;comment=&\#38;time=any&\#38;school=any&\#38;form=any&\#38;type=any&\#38;location=&\#38;header=0&\#38;other=0&\#38;showauthor=1&\#38;caption=Salome+with+the+Head+of+John+the+Baptist">other depictions</A> of Salome with the Head of John the Baptist. <P> <TABLE ALIGN=LEFT CELLPADDING=5 BORDER=1 WIDTH=320 BGCOLOR="\#99CCCC"> <TR VALIGN=MIDDLE><TD><IMG SRC="/support/gif/listen.gif" BORDER=0 VALIGN=MIDDLE> Suggested listening \(streaming mp3, 15 minutes\):<BR><A HREF="\#" onClick="w=window.open \('/music1/20\_cent/strauss\_salome.html', 'newWin', 'scrollbars=yes,status=no,dependent=yes,screenX=0,screenY=0,width=350,height=350'\);w.opener=this;w.focus\(\);return true"><B>Richard Strauss: Salome, closing scene</B></A> </TD></TR></TABLE> ## Related artworks - [A Female Martyr]() - [Crucifixion and Scenes from the Life of Christ]() - [Crucifixion and Scenes from the Life of Christ]() - [Crucifixion]() - [Girls Bathing]() - [Holy Family with the Infant St John]() - [Madonna and Child with St John the Baptist and the Lamb]() - [Madonna and Child with Sts Catherine and Barbara \(detail\)]() - [Madonna and Child with Sts Catherine and Barbara]() - [Madonna in the Rose Garden]() - [Madonna of the Carnation]() - [Madonna with Child and the Young St John]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()