Master active in Rome; last third of the 16th century.

Master active in Rome; last third of the 16th century.
‘Salome and the Beheading of John the Baptist’.
Oil on canvas. Re-framed.
It possesses frame, c, 1830.
Measurements: 84 x 103 cm; 100 x 118 cm (frame).

Salome is presented in this scene showing the silver tray to the spectator, although she directs her face towards her servant, while the executioner holds the head of the saint as a trophy showing it to Salome. The girl does not show a hint of remorse, but rather adopts an expression that attempts to capture a shameless, tempting woman, thus alluding to her role in the biblical story.

According to tradition, Salome, a woman of great beauty, danced for her stepfather, who enthusiastically offered to grant her any prize she wished. The young woman then asked, following her mother's instructions, for the Baptist's head, which was given to her ‘on a silver platter’. This biblical story has often been depicted in painting, as it offers the possibility of depicting exotic settings and half-naked women without abandoning the biblical repertoire, although this is not the case with this particular work. Salome was a princess, daughter of Herod Philip and Herodias, and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas, who was linked to the death of Saint John the Baptist in a story told in the New Testament (Matthew and Mark). Herodias, wife of Herod Philip, scandalously married his half-brother, Herod Antipas, which provoked a war, since Herod Antipas had repudiated his previous wife, daughter of the Nabataean monarch. The attitude of the new marriage was highly criticised by the people, as it was considered sinful, and one of those who denounced it most was John the Baptist, for which he was imprisoned, although Herod did not dare to execute him for fear of the people's wrath. According to tradition, Salome, a woman of great beauty, danced for her stepfather, and he enthusiastically offered to grant her the prize she desired. The young woman then asked, following her mother's instructions, for the Baptist's head, which was given to her ‘on a silver platter’.

Aesthetics suggest that the author of this work is a master possibly of Tuscan origin whose style is based on the canons of Mannerism and influenced by Counter-Reformation criteria. In fact, it should be noted that there is a youthful model by Scipione Pulzone of the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, which is similar in composition to the present painting. Scipione Pulzone began his artistic training as a pupil of Jacopino del Conte, although he soon preferred to use figures such as Girolamo Muziano and Siciolante as references for his art. His taste for descriptive effects led him to study Flemish and Venetian models, from which he derived a rich palette of colours. However, it was in Raphael that he found his greatest influence, reflected in his use of sharp outlines and schematic clarity. His art is particularly reminiscent of the earliest Raphael, which is reminiscent of the style of a Perugino or a Domenico Ghirlandaio. This is why his art is largely revisionist, as his sources are not to be found in his immediate predecessors but in the great masters of the late Quattrocento. In 1584 Pulzone travelled to Naples and Florence. In the latter city he came into contact with local artists of a similar sensibility to his own. Pulzone is the archetype of Counter-Mannerist art. He was primarily a portraitist and his works are submissive to the dictates of the Roman Church: he attempted to convey simple emotions, within the reach of the simplest of viewers, with a didactic intention and at times with an almost artisanal air, giving priority to art as a vehicle for conveying an idea, in this case of a religious nature, rather than seeking beauty, the artist's own showcasing or the assumption of artistic challenges.