The Head of Saint John the Baptist presented to Salome is a circa 1609 oil on panel painting by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) executed shortly after his return to Antwerp after an eight year stay in Italy.
| The Head of Saint John the Baptist Presented to Salome | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Peter Paul Rubens |
| Year | 1609 (c.) |
| Type | oil on panel |
| Dimensions | 94 cm × 101.8 cm (37 in × 40 in) |
| Location | Private collection |
The painting which had been lost or misattributed for over 200 years was rediscovered in 1987 and in 1998 sold for $5.5 million US. The work then became part of the Fisch-Davidson collection of Baroque paintings and in turn was sold in February 2023 during Sotheby's Old Masters sale for $26.9 million the third highest ever price for a work by Rubens.
The work depicts the head of John the Baptist being presented to Salome just moments after it has been severed from the biblical figure's body[1][2][3][4]