Herodias' Daughter Presenting to Her Mother St. John's Head in a Charger, also Painted by Herself*
Behold, dear Mother,
who
was late our fear,
Disarmed and harmless I
present you here;
The tongue tied up that
made all Jewry quake,
And which so often did our
greatness shake;
No terror sits upon his
awful brow,
Where fierceness reigned,
there calmness triumphs now;
As lovers use, he gazes
on my face
With eyes that languish,
as they sued for grace;
Wholly subdued by my
victorious
charms,
See how his head reposes
in my arms.
Come, join then with me
in my just transport,
Who thus have brought the
hermit to the court.
*Killigrew was one of
many
painters who have used the events of Matthew 14:1-11 as subject matter.
Look up the biblical verses in the King James Version of the Bible at http://www.biblegateway.com/ (why the King James version?). Also, for background, see http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07292a.htm.
For other representations of these events, see the
following:
Several other depictions of Salome in painting
To learn more about History painting in the 18th century, see the following article: