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Salome with the head of John the Baptist

Print
1631 (etched)
Artist/Maker
Panneels, Willem (etcher)
Rubens, Peter Paul (artist)
Place of origin
Belgium (etched)

According to the New Testament (St Mark's Gospel), John the Baptist criticised King Herod for marrying Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip and the mother of Salome. The angry Herodias gained her revenge at a banquet, when Salome's dancing so pleased the king that he offered her anything she wanted. Herodias told her to ask for the head of John the Baptist. In this print Salome is pictured with the Baptist's severed head, pinching the tongue that had spoken out against her mother.

The scene is dramatically lit by a single candle. Effects like this are hard to achieve in black and white prints and give the printmaker an opportunity to show off his skills.

Object details

Categories
Prints
Christianity
Death
Printmaking Techniques
Object type
Print
TitleSalome with the head of John the Baptist (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Etching on paper
Paper
Etching
Brief description
Etching. Willem Panneels after Peter Paul Rubens. Salome with the head of John the Baptist, 1631.
Physical description
'Salome with the head of John the Baptist'. After Peter Paul Rubens. Etching print on paper.
Dimensions
  • Height: 18.5cm
  • Width: 12.8cm
Dimensions taken from: Lambert, Susan. Prints : Art and Techniques. London : V&A Publications, 2001. p 7.
Gallery label
(1983)
A counter proof is a print not from the plate, but made by passing a dampened sheet of paper through a press in contact with a freshly printed impression. A counter proof shows the image the same way round as it is on the plate and therefore helps the printmaker during the progress of the work.

Printmaking Techniques Gallery, Henry Cole Wing
Subjects depicted
Death
Salome
John (Saint John the Baptist)
Summary
According to the New Testament (St Mark's Gospel), John the Baptist criticised King Herod for marrying Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip and the mother of Salome. The angry Herodias gained her revenge at a banquet, when Salome's dancing so pleased the king that he offered her anything she wanted. Herodias told her to ask for the head of John the Baptist. In this print Salome is pictured with the Baptist's severed head, pinching the tongue that had spoken out against her mother.

The scene is dramatically lit by a single candle. Effects like this are hard to achieve in black and white prints and give the printmaker an opportunity to show off his skills.
Associated object
E.760-1982 (Version)
Bibliographic reference
Lambert, Susan. Prints : Art and Techniques. London : V&A Publications, 2001. p 7. : ill.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.759-1982

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Record createdNovember 26, 2002
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O70862/salome-with-the-head-of-print-panneels-willem/
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