off with his head!
is salome the greatest femme fatale in art history?
3 November 2027
Digby hall , hound street, sherborne at 3 pm and 7 pm
Decapitation of Saint John the Baptist. Etching by F. Forster after Cesare da Sesto.
Salome with the Head of John the Baptist by Jacob _Cornelisz_van_Oostanen
Salome by Henri Regnault 1870
The Apparition by Gustave Moreau 1876-1877
Salome Dancing by Gustave Moreau
Salome is the quintessential femme fatale, or dangerous woman. The biblical figure and daughter of Herodias, seduced her step-father Herod with a salacious dance and in return he promised her the head of the prophet John the Baptist. The depiction of Salome has always been a favourite subject throughout art history but during the 19th century a Salome ‘frenzy’ occurred, reaching its zenith between 1860 and 1910. During this time, over 1000 versions of the seductress were painted in Europe. This talk will consider the reasons for this obsession. Did her popularity reflect the anxiety of men as women gradually moved towards emancipation? We will look at the most sensuous and scandalous depictions of this enchantress – this talk is not for the faint hearted!
Stella Lyons
Stella Grace Lyons is a freelance Art History lecturer, speaker and writer accredited with
The Arts Society. She has lectured across the UK, Ireland, Spain, Norway, Germany,
Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Malaysia. Stella gained her BA in the History of Art
with a 1st class in her dissertation from the University of Bristol and her MA in History
of Art from the University of Warwick. She spent a year studying Renaissance art in Italy
at the British Institute of Florence and three months studying Veneti an art in Venice. In
addition, she attended drawing classes at the prestigious Charles H. Cecil studios in
Florence, a private atelier that follows a curriculum based on the leading ateliers of
nineteenth- century Paris.
Stella runs her own online lectures, Stella Talks, which frequently attract listeners from
across five continents, from California to Singapore. Stella is a sought -after lecturer for
art societies, travel companies, private members’ clubs in London —such as the RAC,
The Hurlingham Club and The Travellers Club —as well as boutique cruise lines. Stella
has also lectured for the University of South Wales. She has written about art for several
publications, including The Arts Society Magazine, where her feature on Norwegian art
was chosen for the cover. Her recent article for the publication explores the work of
Swedish painter Anna Boberg. In 2024, she wrote the Introduction for David Griffiths:
Portraits, a book about the renowned Welsh portrait painter and cha ired an event about
Welsh Art for the Penarth Literary Festival 2024. Additionally, she spent many years
modelling for the acclaimed Wales -based artist, Harry Holland .