The Toilette of Salomé—II
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 7/8 × 6 3/8 in. (22.5 × 16.2 cm)
sheet: 13 5/16 × 10 3/16 in. (33.8 × 25.9 cm)
sheet: 13 5/16 × 10 3/16 in. (33.8 × 25.9 cm)
Credit LineAcquisition Fund, 2010
Object number2010-31.13
On View
Not on viewClassificationsPRINT
Label TextThis version of the Toilette was rejected and replaced by the design to the (right/left/below). Both show a pampered Salomé preening—or being preened—having outwitted a guileless Herod into sacrificing Iokanaan in return for her seductress’ dance. It is not surprising that this image was deemed unacceptable: the genitalia imagery and suggestive fondling would have been obvious to even the most naïve of viewers.
Aubrey Vincent Beardsley
1906
