Guided Pathway

The panel turns from protection to slaughter at top right, where four depictions of Salome constitute the third quadrant. In the gospel account, King Herod’s daughter performed a pleasing dance for her father, demanding the head of John the Baptist as her reward. The head is presented by a servant in all four images. Although a monumental rendition of this scene crowns Ghirlandaio’s rendition of the life of John in Santa Maria Novella, Warburg depicts Filippo Lippi’s earlier fresco (#18) from San Stefano in Prato instead. The choice helps to maintain the panel’s temporal structure, which moves from earlier monuments at the top to later monuments at the bottom.