Image of Gallery in South Kensington
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Enter Herodias

Print
1890s (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Black and white line block print on Japanese vellum depicting four figures, including the statuesque queen in the centre with bare breasts and billowing hair, a naked androgynous figure of a page wearing a large fig leaf, a jester-type owl-capped figure in the bottom right, and a foetus-headed grotesque attendant to the left of the image. This figure conceals a large erection beneath his garment. Further phallic motifs can be seen in the sconces of the candlestick in the lower frieze of the design.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleEnter Herodias (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Photo-process print on paper
Brief description
Print by Aubrey Beardsley, 'Enter Herodias', plate IX from 'A Portfolio of Aubrey Beardsley's drawings illustrating 'Salome' by Oscar Wilde'
Physical description
Black and white line block print on Japanese vellum depicting four figures, including the statuesque queen in the centre with bare breasts and billowing hair, a naked androgynous figure of a page wearing a large fig leaf, a jester-type owl-capped figure in the bottom right, and a foetus-headed grotesque attendant to the left of the image. This figure conceals a large erection beneath his garment. Further phallic motifs can be seen in the sconces of the candlestick in the lower frieze of the design.
Dimensions
  • Image height: 177mm
  • Image width: 129mm
  • Sheet height: 286mm
  • Sheet width: 224mm (Note: Pasted to green card: 312 x 254 mm.)
Style
Production typeMass produced
Object history
This is one of 200 prints made by different photo-process techniques (E.358 to E.556-1899) which are reproductions, chiefly proofs, of designs and illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley. They were bought from Mrs A. Gleeson White, 21st January 1899, and had formed part of the collection of Joseph Gleeson White (1851-1898), art historian and first editor of 'The Studio' magazine.
Subject depicted
Association
Literary reference'Salome' by Oscar Wilde
Associated object
E.430-1972 (Version)
Bibliographic reference
Collection
Accession number
E.412-1899

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
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