Gustave Moreau’s Salome Dancing before Herod depicts a biblical story . . . except not really.

In the biblical story of Salome, the woman helps her stepfather, King Herod, obtain the severed head of John the Baptist. Though the girl remains nameless in the Bible, Salome became a notorious depiction of the femme fatale archetype, AKA the man-eating seductress with whom your boyfriend cheats on you. The lack of detail in the biblical story left plenty of room for artists to get creative in their depictions, making it attractive subject matter for those who wanted to hide subtextual meaning in the socially acceptable religious subject matter.

Moreau’s version of this story inspired many literary and visual artists after him, including Oscar Wilde’s play Salome. In author Joris-Karl Huysmans’s novel A Rebours, the main character purchases Moreau’s two paintings of the scene: Salome Dancing before Herod and The Apparition. The author’s sensationalist descriptions of these two paintings influenced later interpretations of this painting. “Her breasts undulate and, rubbed by her whirling necklaces, their nipples stand up . . .” the author claimed with regards to this painting, though none of those details may be seen by the naked eye (pun intended). Huysmans’s description of this painting sounds like dirty fan fiction. However, this saucy fanfic resulted in Moreau’s depiction to be viewed as an exotic and erotic vision of a relatively insignificant Biblical figure.

Art historians often credit Moreau with setting the foundation for the Symbolist movement, in which Gustav Klimt, Edvard Munch, and Frida Kahlo, among many others, participated. The Symbolist movement and its literary counterpart, Decadence, had far-reaching impacts that affected all art forms including painting, sculpture, theatre, dance, music, poetry, and prose. The sensuous, overstimulating--even titillating--details of the painting allow the scene to transcend the physical realm and present a vision of the unseen, spiritual dimension. By expanding beyond depictions of the material world in this painting of Salome, Moreau left a legacy for other artists to explore metaphysical themes as well, making him a precursor for the Surrealist movement. The far-reaching impact of this painting and its counterpart, The Apparition, reveals the significance of Gustave Moreau’s artwork.

Though the name Salome originates from the Hebrew word shalom, meaning “hello” or “welcome,” don’t be fooled. Being greeted at a dinner party with Salome could end with your head on a silver platter.