Sano di Pietro

According to the Bible, Saint John the Baptist censured Herod, the Roman governor of Galilee, for living together with Herodias, who was the wife of his brother. Enraged by this interference, the governor had John locked in a dungeon. At Herod’s birthday feast, Salome, the daughter of Herodias, performed a seductive dance; Herod was so enchanted that he offered the girl whatever she wanted, and she – urged on by her vengeful mother – asked for the head of John the Baptist. This predella fragment combines two scenes in a single composition: Salome’s dance and the presentation of Saint John’s head. On its left there was originally a scene of the beheading of Saint John the Baptist. The polyptych from which the fragment originates once stood in the church of the Augustine convent of San Giovanni all’Abbadia Nuova in Siena, either on the high altar or on the side altar dedicated to Saint John the Beheaded. Sano di Pietro recorded the bloody scene in a placid style, avoiding all drama: those attending the feast express their shock only with symbolic gestures. The scene is dominated rather by the figure of Salome, dancing coquettishly, wearing a blue dress that ripples decoratively around her feet.