Today's feast, and the Gospel reading makes me feel uneasy.Herod is having an affair with his brother's wife, the daughter is involved too. The wife wants to kill John who has denounced the relationship as immoral and against God's law.
One is left wondering if there is incest in this royal court, why is Salome dancing for her mother's lover and his officers? Is that the daughter, described as "a girl" already corrupted by the murderous, adulterous mother. Seedy, very seedy!
What type of woman is this that gets her daughter to dance for the head of her enemy.
What type of man is Herod that he imprisons John and keeps him alive, is attracted by his teaching and yet kills him for a child?
This 19th century provincial Russian icon is one of my favourites, the border is a reddish orange, not exactly a calming colour, in fact it is slightly menacing. The colours are the colours of fire; red, orange, yellow, the fire of judgement perhaps? The drawing is crude but the palette is sublte, it combines menace and beauty. John is winged as the "Angel of the Desert", angel meaning messenger. The background scenes on Johns right are the angel and Zacharius and below the birth of the Baptist, on the right Salome receiving the head from Herod and below the beheading watched by Salome.
On the silver leaf on the right is scaffolding presumably for building the entrance to the coming kingdom of God, the heavenly city, whilst the dark earthly city sits in depth of the valley; the heavenly above John's annunciation and birth, the earthly above Salome and her dark deeds. All happens under the sight of God. The Baptist is saying, "Choose", the icon is saying "Choose".
Clever colouring and cleverer theology.
click on the icon to see it in more detail
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