Art Nouveau Dancer

Salome (1906). Another version by the German Symbolist and Art Nouveau painter Franz von Stuck (1863-1928).

Old Symbols still working

A Poster of the tv-series Desperate Housewives uses the old symbol of the apple which automatically includes seduction, the serpent and so on. That the housewives are dressed in red and black these old demonic colours isnt't surprising.

Opulent Feast

Lot and his daughters by the Dutch Mannerist Painter Abraham Bloemaert (ca.1564-1651). It's surprising all that stuff they saved from burning Sodom.

Hard working Ruth

Ruth gleaning in a medieval illumination. That she's the most hard working is demonstrated because she alone is on her knees,

Cool Judith

Judith (c. 1630-35) by the Italian Baroque painter Massimo Stanzione (1586-1656). That's a really cool reduced painting nearly already Classicism.

Susanna and the Elders

Susanna and the Elders (1610) by the Italian Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi (1593 – c.1653).

Beautiful Esther

Joan Collins as Esther in the Film Esther and the King (1960). It's sex and crime what's selling now from the old Bible stories.

Herodiade - a Sketch

Herodiade (1880-90) by the French academic painter Jean Jacques Henner (1829-1905). Actually Herodiade was the mother of Salome, but in art the two persons normally blend into one.

Eva Negra

The old snake-woman myth still proves useful selling movies. It's Eva and the snake, they are two sides of the same coin.

The Harlot Queen

Jezebel as a book title Cover with the effect-seeking subtitle "Bible's Harlot Queen". It's evident where the attraction of Bible women is situated nowadays.

Medieval Bathsheba

Bathsheba in a medieval illuminated manuscript.

Family Discussion

Lot and his Daughters by the Italian Baroque Era painter Guido Reni (1575-1642). Interesting is here that Reni foregoes the normally so effective and popular nudeness and seduction scenery.

Childish Heroine

Judith. A really perfect painting by the Italian Mannerist painter Alessandro di Cristofano di Lorenzo del Bronzino Allori (1535-1607). She is cool and elegant and not at all impressed or frightened.

Astonished Nude

Susanna and the Elders by the Italian Baroque painter Guido Cagnacci (1601-1663). Despite her nakedness Susanna doesn't look scared more surprised what these old guys may want from her.

Penitent Mary Magdalene

Penitent Mary Magdalene by the Italian Baroque Era Painter Guido Reni (1575-1642). That’s how the church loved to see women, full of regret and ready to pay for their sins.

Samson Sleeping

Samson Delilah by the French painter Gustave Moreau (1826–1898).

Seductive Eve

Adam and Eve by the German Renaissance painter Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1533). Here Eve is downright feeding Adam and the snake seems her worthy companion.

Lots of Gestures

Potiphar’s Wife by the Italian Baroque painter Gian Francesco Barbieri (1591-1666). That seems all about gestures, I also didn’t know that she was already in bed.

Bloody Lolita

Another Salome by the French Symbolist painter Gustave-Adolphe Mossa (1883-1971). Mossa loved these cruel contrasts, she got also cut off hand and especially disgusting is the cat besides the head.

Cool stylish Bathsheba

Bathsheba (1570) by the Italian mannerist painter Giovan Battista Naldini (1537-1591). It’s a cool elegant reduction on the essentials.

Women with Snake

Women with a Snake by the Belarusian photographer Eugene Buzuk. Sure that neither Eve nor Lilith are mentioned here, but the biblical context on woman, sin, snake etc is obvious.

Elegant Judith

Judith and Holofernes (1577/78) by the Italian Renaissance painter Tintoretto (1518–1594).

Poor Hagar

Abraham sending away Hagar and Ishmael by the Flemish Baroque painter Anthonis van Dyck. Hagar looks still like a seductress because she is half-naked while in the back the chaste Sarah can be seen.

Sweet Susanna

Susanna and the Elders (1751) by the Italian painter Pompeo Girolamo Batoni (1708-1787). It’s mostly a a neoclassical painting with a strong rococo influence – i.e. the sweet surprised girl.

Lost Paradise

Eve (1911) by the British painter John Collier (1850-1934).

Good selling Sins

Paulette Goddard as evil pagan princess in the movie "Sins of Jezebel" from 1953. That’s how people imagined bible women in the 1950s.

Oriental Salome

Salome by the French academic painter Léon François Comerre (1850-1916). Comerre specialized also in oriental subjects as can be seen here.

An Adventure of a Princess

Moses Found (c. 1570-75) by the Italian Renaissance painter Paolo Veronese (1529-1588).

Neoclassicist Bathsheba

Bathsheba (1820-25) by the German painter Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1794-1872). Despite Schnorr von Carolsfeld is best known as a member of the Nazarene brotherhood this Bathsheba is a typical neoclassicist painting.

A Penitent Sinner

Despite Mary Magdalene isn’t mentioned much in the Bible and the Vatican decided in recent years that she wasn’t a prostitute, her image stays with this fame. It’s not even sure that it was always “Mary Magdalene” when it is spoken of her in the Gospels or the Gnostic writings. There are so many Marys, that it may even be that characteristics from various real women had been formed up the myth of Mary Magdalene. But anyway this is about images and there Mary Magdalene is really important.

In art it is usually assumed that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute, which means a beautiful but sinful woman with fancy clothes and long opulent hair.

Later when she became one of Jesus' most fervent disciples she removed her gaudy clothes and dressed in a humble white frock. And most important she repented her former sinful live. So she became the icon of a penitent sinner, especially a penitent woman, a symbol of repentance for the vanities of the world.

Mary Magdalene (c. 1565) by the Italian Renaissance Titian (also Tiziano Vecellio) (c. 1485-1576). Here are already depicted most of the important signs characterizing Mary Magdalene. A beautiful, seductive woman with a barely covered breast, long hair. But she’s praying for salvation and she has a book, meaning THE book.

A merry Party

Lot and his daughters (1616) having a really good time by Hendrik Goltzius (1558-1617) a Dutch printmaker and painter of the early Baroque period.

Bloody Work

Judith Beheading Holofernes (1598-99) by the Italian Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610).

Seductive Orient

Potiphar’s Wife a modern Illustration, maybe from a religious book for children.

Despite the costumes and architecture seem well done it’s anything but a good painting. The gestures are ridiculous, it looks much more as if they are playing or acting in a cheap theatre. But above all it’s very interesting that she is depicted as an oriental woman our hero in contrast looks like an all American boy.

Action Movie

This poster for the movie "Esther and the King" (1960) shows how Hollywood liked to interpret those stories. There is a lot of action violating and plundering soldiers, harem scenes and so on.
But the best is Joan Collins as Esther with her absolutely modern hairstyle and cleavage dress.

Bloody Reward

The Dancer's Reward (1907) by the English artist Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (1872–1898).
In this illustration to Oscar Wilde’s Salomé the wicked heroine seems as terrified as her victim.

Mannerist Susanna

Susanna and the Elders by the Italian painter Alessandro di Cristofano di Lorenzo del Bronzino Allori (1535-1607).
As a good Mannerist artist Allori shows above all what he is capable of. There are strange movements, packed action and not least a perfect body.
I especially like her little dog which is defending its mistress.

Glamorous Delilah

Delilah (1948) by the great Australian born artist Henry Clive.

Clive started in the 1920's painting Ziegfeld Girls, then big stars like Gloria Swanson and Polga Negri for promo campaigns. Later he painted covers for American Weekly. He specialized in elegant glamorous women. His Delilah here is represented by the American singer and actress Beryl Wallace.

Snake Girls

The British actresses Rachel Weisz and Rhona Mitra with snakes. Despite it looks quite fashionable it’s not least a modern interpretation of the old biblical myths od Eva, Lilith the Snake Goddess and the female evil. But probably that’s what it makes so interesting today.

Furthermore it should be noticed that the postures are entirely copied from 19th century paintings.

Kind of Bathsheba

Bathsheba (1875-77) by the French painter Paul Cézanne (1839-1906).
Cézanne painted various versions of Bathsheba. I think, it was a good excuse to paint a nude in open-air. Here she has a servant, indicating that she’s probably bathsheba, in the background is a temple indicating the ancient world. Only king David on his balcony is missing.