Off with Their Heads!' Judith and Salome Revisited an Iconographical Study of Biblical Decapitations from the Medieval to Modern Periods

Date of Award

2005

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Hassold, Cris

Keywords

Biblical Women, Book of Judith, Salome, John the Baptist, Deception

Area of Concentration

Art History

Abstract

The iconographical study of both Judith and Salome has brought to light many explanations for the degeneration of their imagery. The most important, however, concerns the presence, or lack of, a religious narrative. In the Medieval period, where the images were used to convey a religious message, Judith and Salome depictions were a direct representation of their Biblical stories. As long as the Biblical text was followed without deviation, images of Judith depict a woman that is pious and heroic, while Salome is seen as a dancing girl who brings about Christ's mission through the death of John the Baptist. This changes, however, as art progresses to reflect the Renaissance's emphasis on the individual. Judith and Salome images begin to depart from the Biblical narrative, and focus on presenting the women in a manner similar to a portrait. By placing these women alone, their status as important religious figures in negated, and they become simply a woman with a decapitated head. Without a narrative, it becomes easy for social misogyny to misinterpret these women. They become women who have caused the decapitation of a man, and by the 19th century, this idea of the femme fatale fully supports the period's decedent views towards women's sexuality.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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