John and Salomé
Date1906
Artist
Aubrey Vincent Beardsley
(British draftsman, illustrator and writer, 1872–1898)
Illustration CitationA Portfolio of Aubrey Beardsley's drawings illustrating "Salome," by Oscar Wilde (John Lane: London, c. 1906)
MediumOffset lithograph
Dimensionscomposition: 8 3/4 × 6 1/16 in. (22.2 × 15.4 cm)
sheet: 13 5/16 × 10 1/4 in. (33.8 × 26 cm)
sheet: 13 5/16 × 10 1/4 in. (33.8 × 26 cm)
Credit LineAcquisition Fund, 2010
Object number2010-31.8
On View
Not on viewClassificationsPRINT
Label TextIn the drama, as Salomé approaches John the Baptist/Iokanaan, he reproaches her, “Back! Daughter of Babylon! Come not near the chosen of the Lord.” To enhance the predatory nature of the encounter, gender attributes are exchanged so that Iokanaan is given delicate effeminate features while Salomé leans towards him, breasts bared, with masculine menace. This image was not included in the 1894 edition of the play, possibly due to the androgynous depiction of biblical figures.
Aubrey Vincent Beardsley
1906
