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Salome with the Head of John the Baptist

around 1520/24 | Andrea Solario

The main object here is not Salome but the cut-off head of the Baptist and as such is located in the centre of the picture. The brutal dynamic is thus forced into symmetrical order. People and objects appear mercilessly possessed of an ideal, sought-after beauty that is shown in the purest, cheerful colour combinations, making a mockery of the cruel plot. This “sinister” mix of naturalism and idealism in the art of Solario’s teacher Leonardo appears to have been especially apt for themes of this kind.

The main object here is not Salome but the cut-off head of the Baptist and as such is located in the centre of the picture. The brutal dynamic is thus forced into symmetrical order. People and objects appear mercilessly possessed of an ideal, sought-after beauty that is shown in the purest, cheerful colour combinations, making a mockery of the cruel plot. This “sinister” mix of naturalism and idealism in the art of Solario’s teacher Leonardo appears to have been especially apt for themes of this kind.

Artist:
Andrea Solario (um 1466 ? Mailand - 1524 Mailand oder Pavia) DNB

Time:
around 1520/24

Object Name
Painting

Culture
Italian, Lombard

Material/technology:
wood

Dimensions:
58,7 cm x 57,7 cm
Framed: 73,5 cm x 74 cm x 5 cm;

Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie

Invs.
Gemäldegalerie, 898

Provenance
1636 Coll. Bartolomeo della Nave, Venice (?); Coll. Leopold Wilhelm

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