Artwork
Herod’s Feast (sketch)
Herod’s Feast (sketch) is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Juan Carreño de Miranda. It dates from 1601 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Overview
Juan Carreño de Miranda’s oil sketch titled *Herod’s Feast* dates from 1601 and is part of the collection at Madrid’s Museo del Prado. The work presents a biblical banquet scene, focusing on the figures of Herod Antipas, his wife Herodias, and their daughter Salome, rendered in a compact, preparatory format.
Subject & Meaning
The composition draws on the New Testament narrative of Salome’s request for John the Baptist’s head, situating the three protagonists at a sumptuous table. Their placement and gestures hint at the moral tension between power, desire, and impending violence, a common theme in Counter‑Reformation art.
Technique & Style
Carreño employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, allowing bright illumination to fall on the central figures while surrounding elements recede into shadow. The sketch’s loose brushwork and limited palette convey a sense of immediacy, suggesting it served as a study for a larger, finished painting.
History & Provenance
Created early in Carreño’s career, the sketch remained in private hands before entering the Prado’s holdings in the 20th century. Its presence in the museum’s collection underscores the artist’s role in Spanish Baroque painting and his engagement with biblical subjects.
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