Salomé with the Head of John the Baptist

Salome danced before King Herod, pleasing him so much that he granted her any request. Spurred on by her mother, Herodias, the Biblical seductress asked for the head of John the Baptist. Rather than emphasizing Salome's seductive qualities, however, Vouet emphasizes her contemplating her deed, as John the Baptist's death was just as much the result of a grudge her mother held against him.

The artist who revolutionized French painting by introducing Italian ideas in the late 1620s, Vouet enjoyed the patronage of the Barberini family when he lived in Rome. After his arrival in Paris in 1627, he received royal commissions for the rest of his career. His large Parisian studio served a variety of clients, including religious institutions and the nobility, as well as influencing the formation of the French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture.