Sodom and Gomorrah

Pulp cover by the famous American illustrator Robert A. Maguire. The biblical sins are converted into a great spectacle.

A Severe Business

Salome by the Italian Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610). There's no triumph only the severe contemplation of death.

Dramatic Scenery

Jephtah's Daughter (1859-60) by the French painter Edgar Degas (1834-1917). Degas painted only very few mytological or biblical subjests, he was much more interested in everyday life scenes. This painting is one of his early works when he returned from Italy where he was influenced by the great masters of traditional painting.

A Perfect Composition

Adam and Eve (c. 1620) by the Italian painter Guido Reni (1575-1642). This painting from the heyday of the baroque era is nearly perfectly composed. The two perfect bodies like a pair of scales, the evil snake in the center and the the fatal apple. The lion, the rey among the animals, seems already very upset.

Homage To Rembrandt

Homage To Rembrandt: Bathsheba (2001) by the American painter Patricia Watwood (born 1971). Here the subject is not any more the story of the Old Testament but art history itself.

Life Goes On

Lot and his daughters engraving by the Dutch artist Lucas van Leyden (1494-1533) part of his series "vrouwenlisten" where he depicted famous women of the Old Testament aimed at connoisseurs.

Neoclassical Ruth

Ruth by the French Academic Painter Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1889). This is a very reduced nearly symbolist painting.

Revealing His Secret

Samson and Delilah engraving by the French artist Paul Gustave Doré (1832–1883) from the illustrated Bible (1866). Obviously Samson is explaing the importance of his long hair. Poor fool.

Two Horny Old Men

Susanna and the Elders by the Italian painter Agostino Carracci (1557-1602). One is already climbing over the balustrade, a real work of action.

Studying Sinner

Reading Mary Magdalene by the Italian painter Alessandro di Cristofano di Lorenzo del Bronzino Allori (1535-1607). The penitent sinner is studying and in front of her lies a skull reminding the vanity a all material desires.

Ghoulish Queen

Salome with the Head of St John the Baptist (1910) by the Swiss Symbolist painter Adolf Frey-Moock (1881-1954). All is illuminated with a ghoulish green. And Salome is wearing also a snake bangle making the connection to Eve and all the other evil women.

Eternal Seductress

Cameron Diaz in the movie "Bad Teacher" (2011). She poses as the eternal seductress, the bad woman, offering the evil apple.

Masked Tamar

Tamar by the Russian painter Marc Zaharovich Chagall (1887-1985). Disguised she's waiting for old Judah.

Catched

Potiphar’s Wife and Joseph by the Italian Baroque painter Paolo Domenico Finoglia, or Finoglio (c. 1590 – 1645). She has already grasped his cloak.

Seductive Judith

Judith by the Flemish manierist painter Jan Massys (c. 1509-1575). Even today she looks really seductive.

Merciless Expulsion

Expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael by the Italian Baroque painter Gian Francesco Barbieri (1591-1666). Sarah turns her back to the cruel scenery.

Good Old Snake Myth

This photo "les dompteuses" in numero 23 may 2001 by the fashion photographer Mert Alas is another new interpretation of the old snake seductress myth

Kind of Bible Pin-Up

This magazine cover by the American pin-up painter Enoch Bolles (1883-1976) is obviously influenced by the older Susanna bathing paintings.

Bloody Trophy

Salome with Head of St John Baptist (1506) by the  Italian Renaissance painter Andrea Solari (1460–1524).

Bunch of Beautiful Nudes

Pharaoh's Daughter by the English painter Frederick Goodall (1822-1904).

Samson and Delilah

Samson and Delilah by the Dutch painter Adriaen van der Werff (1669-1722).

Susanna and the Elders

Susanna and the Elders by the Dutch painter Peter Wtewael (1596-1660).

Seduction

The Woman, the Man and the Serpent; (1911) by the English painter John Byam Shaw (1872-1919).

Proud Judith

A proud and elegant Judith (c.1595) by the Italian painter Agostino Carracci (1557-1602).

Dance of the Seven Veils

Dance of the Seven Veils by the French painter Gaston Bussière (1862-1929). The painting is a simple copy of his Salomé (1914) he only added some veils and changed the back a little.

Evil Jezebel

Evil queen Jezebel decorating a pulpcover from about 1963.

Daughters of Lot

The daughters of Lot (1940) by the  Italian Futurist painter Carlo Carrà (1881-1966).

Fantasy Eve

A modern fantasy version of the old myth of the seductress by the artist Mutabor. I'm not surprised that she's a redhead.

Mary Magdalena

Mary Magdalena by the Italian Baroque painter Guido Cagnacci (1601-1663).

Bathsheba in the Shower

Susan Hayward bathing in the 1951 film David and Bathsheba.

Classical Susanna

Susanna and the Elders (1822) by the Russian Classical painter Petr Vasilievich Basin (1793-1877).