Herod and Herodias appear at the right of the composition. Sitting at a table painted in foreshortened perspective, they look on—the king with a stupefied expression—as Salome presents them with the payment for her dance: John the Baptist’s head on a platter(Mark, 6 21-29). The skillfully lit architectural background clearly recalls Venice. The other figures in the scene are standing, which contributes to its sense of verticality. In the foreground, lit from behind, are a male figure and a young black page, both with their backs to the viewer; and a dog who sits waiting for food. They, too, recall Venetian painting, especially the work of Veronese, who often included such anecdotal figures in his paintings. This small canvas painted with a light, rapid technique was acquired for the Museo del Prado in 1967, but nothing is known of its previous provenience. It has traditionally been considered a sketch for the large altar painting on the same subject that Carreño made for the Church of San Juan in Madrid. This temple was later demolished, and there is no documentation of the paintings after 1800, although it was much admired in its time and copied on numerous occasions.

Documents indicate that a version by Alonso del Arco was part of the main altarpiece dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, at the church of San Juan del Mercado, in Atienza (Guadalajara). Another copy signed by that same artist appeared on the art market in Madrid in 1968. In it, the buildings had been modified, and the saint’s head had been converted into a basket of fruit, possibly at some later date. The Biblioteca Nacional also has an anonymous drawing in ink and white-chalk wash of the same composition.