$173,000
1920 oil on canvas 90. 2 x 66 cm (35 1/2 x 26 in.) signed and dated lower right PROVENANCE Sotheby`s New York, May 24, 1996, Lot 225 Private Collection, New York LITERATURE Heinrich Voss, Franz von Stuck (1863-1928): Werkkatalog der Gemälde mit einer Einführung in seinen Symbolismus Munich, 1973, Nos. 301/182, 302/183, 303/184, 484/185, pp. 165, 207 Salome, stepdaughter of Herod II, is depicted in the Bible as a femme fatale her dance before the King so pleases him that he ultimately agrees to the beheading of John the Baptist. Von Stuck highlights Salome`s seductive and rather sinister qualities; the tilt of her head and positioning of her body emphasize her long, lean figure as well as the wide expanses of naked skin. Her smile similarly reveals her delight at entertaining her audience, the viewer. This representation is related to a variation of the same subject produced by von Stuck in 1906 Salome is shown the same pose, but accompanied by a black woman carrying the head of John the Baptist (see Voss, 1973, no. 302/183). Born in the village of Tettenweis in Bavaria, von Stuck exhibited considerable talent at drawing and caricature from an early age. Encouraged by his father, who wished for him to become a craftsman, von Stuck studied design and architectural drawing at the Kunstgewerbeschule (School for the Applied Arts) in Munich from 1878 to 1881. It was only while attending the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Munich in the early 1880s that he was exposed to the fine arts.
Auctioneer:
Shapiro Auctions
Date:
2014-10-25
