Cesare da Sesto, 'Salome', probably about 1510-20
About the work
Overview
Salome displays the severed head of John the Baptist as his executioner places it in a footed bowl. Her mother Herodias, who held a grudge against John the Baptist for saying her marriage to Herod was unlawful, persuaded Salome to ask for this grisly prize from Herod as a reward for her dancing (Mark 6: 21–28).
We are placed in the role of Herodias, presented with the object of our desire. The executioner’s pose and the turn of his head echoes that of Salome, underlining the contrast between her pale beauty and his swarthy, muscular physique. The table-top is supported by a stone harpy – a half-woman and half-bird personification of storm winds.
There are three variants of this composition by Casare da Sesto; the original is probably the one in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, of which this painting is possibly a studio replica. Leonardo’s influence can be seen in the dramatic lighting effects and the ’smoky' manner in which Salome’s face is painted.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Salome
- Artist
- Cesare da Sesto
- Artist dates
- about 1477 - 1523
- Date made
- probably about 1510-20
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 135.3 × 80 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Salting Bequest, 1910
- Inventory number
- NG2485
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Previous owners
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Martin Davies, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Earlier Italian Schools’, London 1986; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Exhibition history
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2021Creating a National CollectionSouthampton City Art Gallery28 May 2021 - 2 September 2021
Bibliography
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1584G.P. Lomazzo, Trattato dell'arte della pittura, Milan 1584
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1590G.P. Lomazzo, Idea del tempio della pittura, Milan 1590
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1787F.W.B. von Ramdohr, Über Mahlerei und Bildhauerarbeit in Rom für Liebhaber des Schönen in der Kunst, Leipzig 1787
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1805J. Christie, A Catalogue of a Capital, Genuine and Highly Valuable Collection of Italian Pictures… from among the Treasures of the Barberini Palace, London, 30 March 1805
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1857C. Blanc, Le trésor de la curiosité, 2 vols, Paris 1857
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1861Christie, Manson & Woods, Catalogue of the Very Important and Extensive Collection of Pictures, by Ancient and Modern Masters, the Property of that Distinguished Amateur, Charles Scarisbrick, Esq., Deceased, London, 11 May 1861
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1878G. Vasari, Le vite de'più eccellenti pittori, scultori ed architettori: Con nuove annotazioni e commenti di Gaetano Milanesi, ed. G. Milanesi, 8 vols, Florence 1878
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1888G. Redford, Art Sales: A History of Sales of Pictures and other Works and Art, with Notices of the Collections Sold, Names of Owners, Titles of Pictures, Prices and Purchasers, 2 vols, London 1888
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1890J.H. Carter, Catalogue of the Collection of Paintings at High Legh Hall, the Seat of Lieut.-Col. Henry Cornwall Legh, Birmingham 1890
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1898H.F. Cook, Catalogue of Pictures by Masters of the Milanese and Allied Schools of Lombardy, London 1898
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1898L. Corsini Sforza, 'La collezione artistica di Caterina Nobili Sforza, contessa di Santafiora', Archivio storico dell'arte, 1898, pp. 273-8
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1910Thomas Agnew & Sons, Catalogue of the Collection of Pictures and Drawings of the Late Mr George Salting, London 1910
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1910C. Phillips, 'The Salting Collection, II: The Italian Pictures', The Burlington Magazine, XVII/85, 1910, pp. 9-22
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1951Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: The Earlier Italian Schools, London 1951
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1961M. Davies, The Earlier Italian Schools, 2nd edn, London 1961
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1986Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: The Earlier Italian Schools, revised edn, London 1986
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1992P. Parlavecchia, Leonardo e Venezia (exh. cat. Palazzo Grassi, 4 April - 13 July 1992), Venice 1992
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1994M. Carminati, Cesare da Sesto, 1477-1523, Milan 1994
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1995R. White and J. Pilc, 'Analyses of Paint Media', National Gallery Technical Bulletin, XVI, 1995, pp. 85-95
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2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.