Florentine School, early 17th Century

The present canvas shares affinities with the style of Ottavio Vannini (1585 - 1643) but also more generally with Florentine painting of the early 17th century, including the use of highlights on bold-colored clothing against a dark, nondescript background, and the clear focus on the narrative. Salome carries the haloed head of St. John the Baptist on a platter, which she will deliver to her mother Herodias, who had asked for the Baptist's beheading in return for his admonishment against the marriage of Herodias to her late husband's brother, Herod.