Salome’s Erotic Dance
Wood, Brass, Clockwork, Paint, Papyrus
17” x 15” x 13”
Continuing my incursion into the music box genre, Salomé is one of a series of belly dancers I’m developing as a comic study of the ancient dance form.
In the Christian Bible’s account of the death of John the Baptizer, King Herod is so impressed by his stepdaughter Salomé’s dance that he promises to give her anything she wants. On the advice of her mother, Queen Herodias, Salomé demands the head of John on a silver platter.
The story has been depicted again and again in art and theater down through the centuries, and I love the idea of portraying the affair with a music box. As Salome’ enthusiastically performs her infamous shimmy, the other characters in the story appear around the base, including the leering Herod and poor old John’s separated head.
Video
