Who painted Feast of Herod with the Beheading of St John the Baptist?

Feast of Herod with the Beheading of St John the Baptist was painted by Bartlomiej Strobel in 1630.

Where can I see Feast of Herod with the Beheading of St John the Baptist?

Feast of Herod with the Beheading of St John the Baptist is held by Museo del Prado.

What movement is Feast of Herod with the Beheading of St John the Baptist?

Feast of Herod with the Beheading of St John the Baptist is associated with Flemish Baroque painting.

Artwork

Feast of Herod with the Beheading of St John the Baptist

Bartlomiej Strobel , 1630

Feast of Herod with the Beheading of St John the Baptist is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Bartlomiej Strobel. It dates from 1630 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado. Bartholomeus Strobel the Younger’s monumental canvas, measuring roughly 2.

About this work

Overview

Bartholomeus Strobel the Younger’s monumental canvas, measuring roughly 2.8 × 9.5 m, occupies a prominent place in Madrid’s Museo del Prado. Executed in oil on canvas between the early 1630s and the early 1640s, the work juxtaposes two episodes from the biblical narrative of John the Baptist’s death within a single, expansive composition.

Subject & Meaning

The left‑hand sector depicts Herod’s banquet where Salome presents the severed head of John the Baptist on a silver platter, while a smaller, separate scene on the right shows the actual beheading. Contemporary scholarship reads the crowded gathering of aristocratic figures as an allegorical plea for aid to Silesia, a region devastated by the Thirty Years’ War.

Technique & Style

Strobel employs a dramatic chiaroscuro, casting deep shadows across a dim hall illuminated by focused light that highlights the glowing head and richly dressed participants. The crowded space is rendered with meticulous detail, from jeweled garments to armor, creating a theatrical atmosphere that emphasizes both opulence and violence.

History & Provenance

Created by the Silesian painter Bartholomeus Strobel (c. 1591–c. 1650), the canvas entered the Spanish royal collection in the 18th century before being transferred to the Prado. Its dating, variously placed between 1630 and 1643, aligns with Strobel’s later period after his relocation to Central Europe.

Context

The work reflects a common Baroque practice of combining the feast and execution scenes, a compositional device that separates the celebratory and gruesome moments. By populating the banquet with contemporary military and court figures, Strobel links the biblical tragedy to the political turmoil of his own era.

Artist & collection

Artist

Bartlomiej Strobel

Bartholomeus Strobel the Younger or Bartholomäus in German or Bartlomiej in Polish (11 April 1591 (baptised) – after 1650) was a Baroque painter from Silesia, who worked in Prague, Silesia, and finally Poland, where he…