Who painted Herodias' Revenge?

Juan de Flandes painted Herodias' Revenge in 1496.

What Bible passage does Herodias' Revenge depict?

Herodias' Revenge depicts the biblical scene from Matthew 14:1-12.

Where is Herodias' Revenge located?

Herodias' Revenge is housed at Museum Mayer van den Bergh, Lange Gasthuisstraat 19, Antwerp.

Herodias' Revenge by Juan de Flandes

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Herod and Herodias sit at a table in a Renaissance interior. Salome presents the severed head of John the Baptist to them on a platter. Herod recoils from the atrocity, but Herodias holds a knife ready to pierce John's tongue in revenge for the saints's denunciation of her sinful behaviour. The panel belonged to an altarpiece devoted to the story of John the Baptist which was painted in 1496 for the Carthusian monastery of Miraflores near Burgos. The original form of the altarpiece has been partially reconstructed. Its central panel was the Baptism of Christ, now in a Madrid collection. Each wing consisted of at lest two panels placed one on top of the other. Although the work of Juan de Flandes is not really Southern Netherlandish in character, we nevertheless detect the clear influence of painters from Ghent and Bruges, especially Hugo van der Goes. He uses painterly techniques to create a strange atmosphere. The bright lighting and accentuation of the green, red and orange sections generate a nervous tension. Placing the main protagonists in the foreground lends the scene an expressive aura and a pronounced monumentality, which is further heightened by the dramatic movement, the sharply delineated forms and the realistic appearance of the figures.

Details

Artist: Juan de Flandes
Created: 1496
Medium: oil on panel
Dimension: 75cm × 50cm
Passage: Matthew 14:1-12
Housed at: Museum Mayer van den Bergh Lange Gasthuisstraat 19, Antwerp

Found in: Matthew, Matthew 14, 15th century, Death of the Baptist

Matthew 14:1-12

1 At that time, Herod the tetrarch heard the report concerning Jesus,

2 and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptizer. He is risen from the dead. That is why these powers work in him.”

3 For Herod had laid hold of John, and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife.

4 For John said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”

5 When he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced among them and pleased Herod.

7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatever she should ask.

8 She, being prompted by her mother, said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptizer.”

9 The king was grieved, but for the sake of his oaths, and of those who sat at the table with him, he commanded it to be given,

10 and he sent and beheaded John in the prison.

11 His head was brought on a platter, and given to the young lady: and she brought it to her mother.

12 His disciples came, and took the body, and buried it; and they went and told Jesus.

Matthew 14:1-12 · World English Bible

The artist

Juan de Flandes

1460 - 1519

Flanders, Belgium

Juan de Flandes ("John of Flanders"; c. 1460 – by 1519) was a Flemish painter active in Spain from 1496 to 1519. His actual name is unknown, although an inscription Juan Astrat on the back of one work suggests a name such as "Jan van der Straat". Jan Sallaert, who became a master in Ghent in 1480, has also been suggested. He worked in the Early Netherlandish style.