Salome’s Maidenhead on a Plate; an Examination of Gustave Moreau’s ‘Salome dances before Herod’ (1876) within the Context of 19th Century Attitudes to the Femme Fatale.

Annaick Farrell
Trinity College Dublin
Department of History of Art and Architecture
2005
BA

Subject: Painting
Country: Europe
Period: 19th Century

10,000 words

This study discusses the Salome theme with reference to Gustave Moreau’s painting of 1876. The study deals with the biblical origins of the story of Salome and with the story’s treatment from the Renaissance to the 19th century. It outlines the late19th century background of misogyny and a predilection for the exotic in Europe that forms the context for Moreau’s painting. The study discusses the role of literature in the development of the character of Salome and the effect of literature on Moreau, his development of a symbolic language and his artistic philosophy in relation to his interpretation of the subject. The study concludes with an examination of the effect of Moreau’s ‘Salome’ on later treatments of the subject - particularly those of the early 20th century.

Irish Georgian Society

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Salome’s Maidenhead on a Plate; an Examination of Gustave Moreau’s ‘Salome dances before Herod’ (1876) within the Context of 19th Century Attitudes to the Femme Fatale.