Salome with the Head of John the Baptist

Salomé con la testa del Battista

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Titolo dell'opera:

Salome with the Head of John the Baptist

Acquisizione:

E. L. Peirano 1926

Author/ School/ Dating:

Mathias Stomer (Amersfoort, 1600 circa - Sicilia, post 1650)

Epoca:

Inventario:

PB 1997

Misure:

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 95; Larghezza: 85

Technique and Dimensions:

Oil on canvas, cm. 95 x 85

Ultimi prestiti:

Verdammte Lust! Kirche. Korper. Kunst - 2023 - Frisinga (Germania)

Back to Focus:
The "Caravaggesques"
Descrizione:

Correctly attributed to Matthias Stom by Attilio Podestà (Podestà in ‘Studi di storia dell'arte’ 1971, pp. 249-255), the painting depicts a voluptuous half-length Salome leaning on a table, holding a silver basin containing the lifeless head of John the Baptist, martyred at the behest of Herod precisely to please the beautiful Salome, daughter of his mistress, Herodias. The bright colours and clear light contrast with the typical nocturnal character of many of Stom's paintings in Italy, revealing instead the Nordic influence of his training. Given the success of the painter's work in Genoa (Zennaro 2011, I, pp. 371-376), it cannot be ruled out that this work was commissioned or purchased on behalf of a Genoese collector, although nothing is yet known about its historical provenance. (PRIARONE in Frisinga 2023, pp. 186-189) The painting depicts Salome flanked by her maid, holding a plate with the head of John the Baptist on it.