Salome danser foran Herodes 1565 - 1607

Jan Saenredam created this print, Salome Dancing before Herod, in the Netherlands, sometime around 1600. We see Herod's banquet, the dance itself, and, in the background, the execution of John the Baptist. The print presents a moralizing view of power and sexuality, and we can ask what social function such imagery served in the Netherlands at this time. Protestant reformers were deeply concerned with the regulation of public behavior. Prints like this were widely disseminated and could serve a didactic purpose. The artist uses the setting of the biblical story to comment on contemporary events and moral issues, presenting the viewer with an image of courtly life corrupted by vanity and lust. To understand this print better, we can examine the social history of the Netherlands during this period, researching its religious and political conflicts. The work’s meaning, we can see, is contingent on its historical and institutional context.