Follower of Guido Reni, Italy, 17th century.

Follower of GUIDO RENI (Calvenzano di Vergato, Bologna, 1575 - Bologna, 1642); Italy, 18th century.
"Salome with the head of St. John".
Oil on canvas.
It presents faults and restorations.
Measurements: 130 x 90 cm.
This work follows the model of Guido Reni that is in the collection of the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica of Palazzo Corsini, Italy. In this one, the protagonist is Salome, who holds the tray with the Baptist's head, as if she were going to offer it to the spectator. In this version of the biblical story, Reni focuses on the staging of the contrast between the narrative episode - a maiden carrying a severed head on a tray - and the face of Salome, who directs her eyes to the viewer, while maintaining an icy and impersonal distance, accentuated by the skillful painting technique employed by Reni, who makes her rich clothing and headdress emerge from the canvas with long, full-bodied brushstrokes.
Regarding the work of Guido Reni, it was most probably acquired by Cardinal Francesco Barberini on December 13, 1639. It entered the Corsini collection as a gift from Monsignor Bardi to Pope Clement XII (1730-1740), immediately becoming one of his most popular paintings, as evidenced by the numerous copies that were made.
The undisputed master of Roman-Bolognese classicism along with Albani and Domenichino, Guido Reni was undoubtedly the best of the three. Closely linked to the Carracci family and to the city of Bologna, they all had a similar trajectory. They trained in Bologna with Denys Calvaert, and then moved on to the Accademia degli Incamminati, directed by Ludovico Carraci. In 1600 Reni arrived in Rome, where he worked with Annibale Carracci in the Farnese Gallery. His best period begins in these years; in 1609, at Annibale's death, Reni remains as the head of the classicist school. In the city he will be protected by Scipione Borghese, the future Pope Paul V, for whom the painter will realize one of his most important works, "La Aurora" (Palazzo Rospigliosi). It shows something that will always be characteristic of Reni's style, his admiration for ancient sculpture. Starting from the classical statues, he develops an ideal of beauty and perfection that will be much admired by the following painters. In 1614 he returned to Bologna for good. Reni's style evolves in a clear direction, more and more sculptural and cold, more and more fully classicist. His mature work will be characterized by a cold palette, with silvery reflections. Finally, from the 1930s, his style became sketchy, with an unfinished appearance and a tendency towards monochromatic, of great interest from a technical as well as a formal point of view.Guido Reni is currently represented in the most important art galleries around the world, among them the Prado Museum, the Hermitage, the Louvre, etc.