The Dance at the Court of Herod
c. 1500
Medium
engraving
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.138
Art Historical Context
Israhel van Meckenem's *The Dance at the Court of Herod*, created around 1500, captures a dramatic biblical moment from the New Testament: the seductive dance of Salome before Herod Antipas, which seals the fate of John the Baptist. As a leading German engraver of the Northern Renaissance, van Meckenem (c. 1445–1503) was renowned for his intricate prints that blended late Gothic detail with emerging Renaissance naturalism. This work exemplifies his skill in depicting crowded courtly scenes filled with expressive figures, lavish costumes, and architectural grandeur, drawing viewers into a vivid...
About the Artist
Israhel van Meckenem · 1435–1503
Israhel van Meckenem (c. 1445–1503), also known as Israhel van Meckenem the Younger, was a pioneering German engraver and goldsmith based in Bocholt, near the Dutch border, renowned as the most prolific printmaker of the fifteenth century. Born into a family possibly of Dutch origin, he was the son of Israhel van Meckenem the Elder, a goldsmith who settled in Bocholt in 1457. He trained initially ...