The Feast of Herod

The banquet lends the occasion an official status. Because the king cannot break a promise made in public to Salome and Herodias, the events that follow become inevitable.

The Feast of Herod

John the Baptist had, rightly, accused Herod of behaving reprehensibly in marrying Herodias, the wife of his dead brother Philip. The apostle's admonition had fueled a great hatred on the part of Herodias. On her advice, King Herod imprisoned John, and Herodias tirelessly encouraged her husband to get rid on this inconvenient presence and condemn John to death. But Herod lacked the will to do so, because he appreciated John's sense of justice and holiness, willingly listening to him and fol­lowing his advice. One day, Herod arranged a banquet to celebrate his birthday, inviting Galilean princes, officials, and other notables. Herod's stepdaughter Salome was called in to dance before the assembly to entertain the guests. Her graceful dances so pleased the king that he pledged to fulfill any desire she might express. Salome was unsure what to ask for, but on her mother's advice she asked the king for the head of John the Baptist. Herod could not go back on a promise made in the presence of his guests and so, with great reluctance, he ordered  that John be executed. The saint's bleeding head was brought to Salome on a salver, and she handed it over to her mother.

Sources

Mark 6:17-29

Iconography

This is one of the most popular subjects in Italian and other European art, with countless examples of the episode from the 15th to the 17th century. There are many reasons for its popularity: female beauty, the banquet scene, an elegant court setting, the gruesome image of Johns severed head, and the contrast between that image and the luxurious atmosphere of a court banquet

Filippo Lippi, The Dance of Salome, from Scenes from the Life of Saint John the Haptisty ca. 1460. Prato, cathedral.