Francisco de Solís

FRANCISCO DE SOLIS (Madrid, c.1620-1625 -1684).
"Salome before Herod".
Oil on canvas.
Preserves original canvas with additions in the margins and patches.
It presents restorations on the pictorial surface.
Measurements: 167 x 108,5 cm; 181,5 x 125 cm (frame).
Normally in the representations of this theme, Salome is not usually shown offering her head to Herod, a feature that makes this work exceptional. The uniqueness of the painting can be appreciated not only in the treatment of the subject, but also in the quality of the drawing and the composition. The author leaves a first space that introduces the viewer into the scene, arranges all the characters around a table in which a frugal but delicate still life can be appreciated, and finally establishes another plane in which we can see a monumental architecture and a canopy that provides a great spatiality. According to biblical history Herodias, wife of Herod Philip, married scandalously with his half-brother, Herod Antipas, which caused a war, since Herod Antipas had repudiated his previous wife, daughter of the Nabataean monarch. The attitude of the new marriage was very criticized by the people, since it was considered sinful, and one of those who most denounced it was John the Baptist, for which he was arrested, although Herod did not dare to execute him for fear of the popular 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. Then the young woman 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 it is not about this particular work. Salome was a princess, daughter of Herod Philip and Herodias, and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas, related to the death of St. John the Baptist in a story told in the New Testament (Matthew and Mark).
Francisco de Solís was the son of the well-known painter and scenographer Juan de Solís, who wanted him to pursue an ecclesiastical career. However, he continued to practice painting in his father's workshop when he had free time. At the age of eighteen he painted a scene of the Capuchins of Villarrubia de los Ojos, which he showed publicly. This caught the attention of King Philip IV, who wanted to know more about the artist. This convinced him to make art his main profession. He had no financial worries, which made him unambitious as an artist, but he amassed a large library and a valuable collection of engravings and drawings; some of which were signed as gifts to him. This included a sketchbook of works by Diego de Obregón, the son of Pedro de Obregón. For many years he led a school of drawing, but his only pupil who became known was the painter José Moreno. He painted in many of the convents of Madrid, which provided for connections that brought commissions from outside the area; including the Franciscans in Viana and the Dominicans in Villanueva de los Infantes. In 1675 he painted the Annunciation for the convent of the Discalced Carmelites in Boadilla del Monte, where his daughter Petronila took her vows. He also made paintings for the chapel of the Convent of Copacabana. All of his surviving works are of a religious nature, but apparently he also painted scenes from mythology; of particular note is a series on the Labors of Hercules in the Plaza de San Salvador, which were commissioned to celebrate the arrival of Maria Luisa de Orleans and her court in 1679.