Giampietrino - Salome [c.1510-30]

Giampietrino - Salome [c.1510-30], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

The subject is taken from the New Testament, and shows Salome with the head of Saint John the Baptist which she has been granted by Herod. The composition owes much to the inventions of Leonardo, and the strong chiaroscuro (the balance of light and shade) is also influenced by him. The flesh tones and the pinkish red of Salome's robe have faded considerably with time; the brown stripes of the tablecloth were once a rich green.

Little is known about Giampietrino and the very use of this name is conjectural, it having been applied to a group of paintings as a result of its appearance in Leonardo's Codex Atlanticus in a list of Leonardo's pupils. Although there may be some doubt about their attribution the paintings ascribed to this artist do form a stylistically coherent whole. 

[Oil on poplar, 68.6 x 57.2 cm]