Salome

Inscriptions

Signed, lower left: I. I. HENNER.; i nscribed, on stretcher reverse: 6308. Label from M. R. Schweitzer Gallery, New York: #3990.; Reverse, on frame, in script: C L / 6308

Label

Jean Jacques Henner achieved commercial success in the late 19th century for his moody paintings of Biblical femme fatales, including Salome, who famously requested John the Baptist’s beheading. The Hood Museum’s records state that Salome was initially acquired by a French woman, Mme L. Ferrey, whose estate sold in 1921. However, Salome is not listed in the gallery’s auction catalogue; instead, a painting of Judith was misidentified as Salome due to the homogenous nature of Henner’s oeuvre. This misattribution reveals the importance of regularly questioning and reexamining an artwork’s documentation to accurately establish its provenance.

Provenance: Drouot, Sale June 28, 1961, lot 102 (Ader), Paris, France; sold to [Marthe] Alice (1915–2004) and M. R. [Meyer (Mac) R.] Schweitzer (1911–2006), New York, June 28, 1961; given to present collection, 1964.

From the 2025 exhibition A Space for Dialogue 126, Hidden Histories: Art, Provenance, and the Nazi Era, curated by Sadie Weil '25, Mellon Special Project Intern

Exhibition History

A Space for Dialogue 126, Hidden Histories: Art, Provenance, and the Nazi Era, Sadie Weil '25, Mellon Special Project Intern, Alvin P. Gutman Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, September 13 - November 2, 2025.

Image of Women, Carpenter Galleries, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, January 30-February 29, 1976.

Publication History

Isabelle de Lannoy, Catalogue raisonne: Jean-Jacques Henner, Vol. 2, 2008, ill. p. 91, number 900.

Provenance

Drouot, Sale June 28, 1961, lot 102 (Ader), Paris, France; sold to [Marthe] Alice (1915-2004) and M. R. [Meyer (Mac) R.] Schweitzer (1911-2006), New York, June 28, 1961; given to present collection, 1964.

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Subjects