Sotheby's: This recently rediscovered early painting by Guercino has been unanimously declared by the leading scholars on the artist to be an extremely important addition to his oeuvre. Dr. Erich Schleier and Professor David Stone consider it to be an autograph work by the artist, and have further suggested that it is the second version of this much celebrated composition.
The scene depicts Saint John the Baptist in the prison in which he was thrown after rebuking Herod for marrying his brother's wife Herodias. The saint is visited by Herodias' daughter Salome who would later, on her mother's request, ask for John's head on a dish as a reward for her beautiful dancing at a banquet.
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