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Salome with the Head of John the Baptist

ca. 1876
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 556

According to Biblical sources, Salome agreed to dance before her father, Herod II, King of Judea, in exchange for receiving the severed head of John the Baptist. Moreau treated the subject some fifteen times in oil. The majority of these paintings focus on the dramatic apparition of the head during the dance or its presentation afterward, but the seductress here appears almost innocent, stretching her body and gaze away from the bloody head, which glows with a holy light.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Salome with the Head of John the Baptist
  • Artist: Gustave Moreau (French, Paris 1826–1898 Paris)
  • Date: ca. 1876
  • Medium: Oil on wood
  • Dimensions: 8 1/2 × 4 3/4 in. (21.6 × 12.1 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust, 2018
  • Object Number: 2018.289.6
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Sphinx in a Grotto (Poet, King and Warrior), Gustave Moreau French, Watercolor and gouache on paper, varnished
Sphinx in a Grotto (Poet, King and Warrior)
Gustave Moreau
1887–1888
Saint Cecilia, Gustave Moreau French, Gouache and watercolor over graphite on wove paper mounted to wood panel
Saint Cecilia
Gustave Moreau
ca. 1890–95
Salomé Dancing Before the Head of St. John the Baptist, Gustave Moreau French, Graphite, watercolor and gouache on cream wove paper
Salomé Dancing Before the Head of St. John the Baptist
Gustave Moreau
mid to late 19th century
Oedipus and the Sphinx, Gustave Moreau French, Oil on canvas
Oedipus and the Sphinx
Gustave Moreau
1864
The Laundress, Honoré Daumier French, Oil on oak
The Laundress
Honoré Daumier
186[3?]

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