# Salome with the Head of St John the Baptist

[View the canonical artwork record](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/preti-mattia-r48a8994befd43d/salome-with-the-head-of-st-john-the-baptist-r994d3ecaed317f>)

## Artwork

- Artist: [PRETI, Mattia](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/preti-mattia-r48a8994befd43d>)
- Date: 1651-1700
- Technique: Oil on canvas

## Commentary

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. You can view &lt;A onclick=&#34;return OpenOther\(&#39;/cgi-bin/search.cgi?author=&amp;title=Salome+AND+Baptist&amp;comment=&amp;time=any&amp;school=any&amp;form=any&amp;type=any&amp;location=&amp;header=0&amp;other=0&amp;showauthor=1&amp;caption=Salome+with+the+Head+of+John+the+Baptist&#39;\)&#34; HREF=&#34;/cgi-bin/search.cgi?author=&amp;title=Salome+AND+Baptist&amp;comment=&amp;time=any&amp;school=any&amp;form=any&amp;type=any&amp;location=&amp;header=0&amp;other=0&amp;showauthor=1&amp;caption=Salome+with+the+Head+of+John+the+Baptist&#34;&gt;other depictions&lt;/A&gt; of Salome with the Head of John the Baptist. &lt;P&gt; &lt;TABLE ALIGN=LEFT CELLPADDING=5 BORDER=1 WIDTH=320 BGCOLOR=&#34;\#99CCCC&#34;&gt; &lt;TR VALIGN=MIDDLE&gt;&lt;TD&gt;&lt;IMG SRC=&#34;/support/gif/listen.gif&#34; BORDER=0 VALIGN=MIDDLE&gt; Suggested listening \(streaming mp3, 15 minutes\):&lt;BR&gt;&lt;A HREF=&#34;\#&#34; onClick=&#34;w=window.open \(&#39;/music1/20\_cent/strauss\_salome.html&#39;, &#39;newWin&#39;, &#39;scrollbars=yes,status=no,dependent=yes,screenX=0,screenY=0,width=350,height=350&#39;\);w.opener=this;w.focus\(\);return true&#34;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Richard Strauss: Salome, closing scene&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/A&gt; &lt;/TD&gt;&lt;/TR&gt;&lt;/TABLE&gt;

## Related artworks

- [A Mother Entrusting Her Sons to Christ](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/preti-mattia-r48a8994befd43d/a-mother-entrusting-her-sons-to-christ-r7bc7391f10ff29>)
- [Absalom&#39;s Feast](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/preti-mattia-r48a8994befd43d/absaloms-feast-rdf50bda821f21f>)
- [Aeneas, Anchises and Ascanius Fleeing Troy](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/preti-mattia-r48a8994befd43d/aeneas-anchises-and-ascanius-fleeing-troy-r00b9b944f02612>)
- [Beheading of St. Catherine](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/preti-mattia-r48a8994befd43d/beheading-of-st-catherine-r629b83b245b5c0>)
- [Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/preti-mattia-r48a8994befd43d/christ-and-the-woman-taken-in-adultery-rb459f4ed273cc8>)
- [Christ in Glory](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/preti-mattia-r48a8994befd43d/christ-in-glory-r6d6add41f18fdd>)
- [Concert \(detail\)](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/preti-mattia-r48a8994befd43d/concert-detail-r68e886ebbb47b4>)
- [Concert](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/preti-mattia-r48a8994befd43d/concert-r2f44623f5bb4da>)
- [David Playing the Harp before Saul](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/preti-mattia-r48a8994befd43d/david-playing-the-harp-before-saul-ra8c1f504bf2cbe>)
- [Decollation of St John \(detail\)](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/preti-mattia-r48a8994befd43d/decollation-of-st-john-detail-r610487941175e8>)
- [Erminia, Princess of Antioch](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/preti-mattia-r48a8994befd43d/erminia-princess-of-antioch-rbced589eb7c8cd>)
- [Painting in the choir: Crucifixion of St Andrew](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/preti-mattia-r48a8994befd43d/painting-in-the-choir-crucifixion-of-st-andrew-r656150527c02d6>)

## Attribution

[Web Gallery of Art](<https://beta.wga.hu/pages/about>)