Salome
My fascination with John the Baptist was due, in part, to the curiousness of the Mandaean sect. The Mandaeans remain an isolated Iraqi cult who claim John the Baptist as their prophet. At the time of this painting I had been frustrated with the small amount of information that could be found on them, especially as I've always thought John the Baptist to be an interesting Biblical character.This painting illustrates the circumstances of John's death according to the gospels. The sexy dancer Salome has her reluctant father, Herod, implicated in the situation. Her corruption is punctuated by her sly smile and her perverse treatment of the head.
The tattoo on Salome is the same design that appears on the flag in “Ship of Fools,” and is derived from Mithraic symbolism. The design is explained in my commentary on "Ship of Fools."