The Head of Saint John the Baptist Presented to Salome explained

The Head of Saint John the Baptist Presented to Salome
Artist:	Peter Paul Rubens
Year:	1609 (c.)
Type:	oil on panel
Height Metric:	94
Width Metric:	101.8
Height Imperial:	37
Width Imperial:	40
Metric Unit:	cm
Imperial Unit:	in
Museum:	Private collection

The Head of Saint John the Baptist presented to Salome is a circa 1609 oil on panel painting by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) executed shortly after his return to Antwerp after an eight year stay in Italy.

The painting which had been lost or misattributed for over 200 years was rediscovered in 1987 and in 1998 sold for $5.5 million US. The work then became part of the Fisch-Davidson collection of Baroque paintings and in turn was sold in February 2023 during Sotheby's Old Masters sale for $26.9 million the third highest ever price for a work by Rubens.

The work depicts the head of John the Baptist being presented to Salome just moments after it has been severed from the biblical figure's body^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Notes and References

1. News: Lost Rubens painting of Salome could exceed £31m at auction. . 25 October 2023. 2023-02-13.
2. Web site: Elaine Velie . Rubens Painting, Lost for Centuries, Heads to the Auction Block . 26 October 2022 . Hyperallergic.com . 2023-02-13.
3. Web site: Wong . Kayan . Rubens' depiction of Salome and John the Baptist Beheaded fetches US$26.9m. The Value. 2023-02-13.
4. Web site: Sir Peter Paul Rubens. sothebys.com. 30 March 2023.