Salome with the head of St John the Baptist

Important sculpted altarpiece dated 1522 with the scene of Salome with the head of St John the Baptist, Limewood. The story is told in two of the Gospels (Matthew 14: 3-12 and Mark 6: 17-29): St John the Baptist is in prison for denouncing the adulterous and incestuous liaison between King Herod and Herodias. Salome (Herodias’s daughter by a previous marriage) so delights the King with her dancing that he promises to give her anything she wants. Prompted by her mother, she asks for John the Baptist’s head on a platter. Second image by Jan Rombouts. Masterpiece quality.