Who painted Salome with the head of John the Baptist?

Salome with the head of John the Baptist was painted by Luini Bernardino in 1527.

Where can I see Salome with the head of John the Baptist?

Salome with the head of John the Baptist is held by Uffizi Gallery.

What movement is Salome with the head of John the Baptist?

Salome with the head of John the Baptist is associated with Mannerism.

Artwork

Salome with the head of John the Baptist

Luini Bernardino , 1527

Salome with the head of John the Baptist is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Luini Bernardino. It dates from 1527 and is held in the collection of the Uffizi Gallery.

About this work

Overview

Bernardino Luini’s oil-on-panel work dated around 1527 depicts the biblical episode of Salome presenting the severed head of John the Baptist. Executed in a compact format, the painting is now part of the Uffizi Gallery’s collection in Florence.

Subject & Meaning

The central figure, a woman in a red garment, holds a silver tray bearing the pale, decapitated head, evoking the moment described in the New Testament. A bearded man leans forward behind her, while another female figure watches from the side, underscoring the narrative’s dramatic tension.

Technique & Style

Luini employs a stark chiaroscuro, using a deep, dark background to isolate the figures and heighten the contrast between light and shadow. The careful modeling of flesh and the reflective quality of the silver tray demonstrate his mastery of oil paint on panel.

History & Provenance

Originally housed in the Imperial Gallery in Vienna, the painting remained there until 1773 when it was exchanged for another work and transferred to Florence. It has been displayed in the Uffizi Gallery since that exchange.

Legacy

Six autograph copies of the composition survive in major institutions: the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Louvre, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Prado Museum, and the Prince Borromeo collection on Isola Bella. Their distribution reflects the work’s influence and the demand for Luini’s interpretation of the Salome theme.

Artist & collection

Artist

Luini Bernardino

Bernardino Luini (c. 1480/82 – June 1532) was a north Italian painter from Leonardo's circle during the High Renaissance. Both Luini and Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio were said to have worked with Leonardo directly; he…