The Apparition portrays Salome who, according to the Gospels, bewitched the ruler Herod Antipas, the husband of her mother Herodiad, with her dancing. As a reward she was given the head of John the Baptist.
Is Moreau illustrating the end of Salome's dance in this watercolour? The head would then appear to her as the image of her terrifying wish. Or is it a scene after the beheading, an image of remorse? For Huysmans the
"murder had been committed". Salome remains a femme fatale, even when filled with horror, in a long description he wrote about the work in chapter five of Against Nature (1884). According to other critics, it was the
painter's consumption of opium which produced hallucinations like this. Although unfounded, this accusation has persisted over many years.
As he often did, Moreau has used several motifs for his composition. The head of John the Baptist, with its halo, recalls a Japanese print copied by Moreau at the Palais de l'Industrie in 1869. It is also reminiscent
of the famous head of Medusa, brandished by Perseus, in Benvenuto Cellini's bronze in Florence (Loggia dei Lanzi). As for the decoration of Herod's palace, it is directly inspired by the Alhambra in Granada. Through
these disparate elements, Moreau recreates a magnificent, idealised Orient, using complex technical means: highlighting, grattage, incisions etc.
At the 1876 Salon, The Apparition was bought by the Belgian art dealer Léon Gauchez (1825-1907). The following year he loaned it for the first exhibition at the Grosvenor Gallery in London. Gauchez had already sent a
Sappho painting by Moreau for exhibition in London in 1871. This interaction gives an idea of how Moreau's reputation in literary and artistic circles spread rapidly across Europe.
百度翻译：http://fanyi.baidu.com
据《圣经》记载，大约在公元前一世纪，犹太国的希律王爱上了弟弟腓力的妻子希罗蒂并娶其为妻。圣徒约翰（基督降生的预言者并且是为基督实行洗礼之人）知道后，非常愤怒，因为在他看来这完全就是乱伦、犯罪。于是，他觐见希律王，并当面对其娶弟媳希罗蒂为妻的行为大加指责。
由于约翰是一位先知，希律王对他敬重有加，而且自己的行为确实有些不妥，因此，希律王并没有怪罪约翰的“欺君罔上”，而是对他的言行表示了理解和宽容。但是，王后希罗蒂却怀恨在心，认为约翰这么做就是故意想毁掉她的荣华富贵，因此，她决定报复约翰。终于，狠毒的希罗蒂找了一个借口把约翰收押了，并想趁机制造事端，谋杀约翰。不过，希律王很快知道了此事，他设法解救了约翰，并温柔地指责了希罗蒂。然而，这不但没有使希罗蒂醒悟，反而加深了她对约翰的憎恨，更加处心积虑地陷害约翰，不将他置于死地誓不罢休。
这天，希律王生日。希罗蒂提议让她和腓力的女儿，也就是希律王的侄女莎乐美在宴会上表演舞蹈助兴。这个莎乐美不但人长得倾国倾城，而且舞蹈跳得也非常好，因此，希律王没有多想，就高兴地答应了下来。
在宴会上，莎乐美舞动自己曼妙的身姿，犹如一只来自天国的精灵，希律王和在座的大臣们都看得如痴如醉。一曲舞毕，希律王也已酒过三巡，他醉意朦胧地对莎乐美说：“孩子，你需要什么？本王可以满足你任何要求！”
莎乐美和座上的母亲相视一笑，随后若无其事地问道：“真的吗？”希律王哈哈大笑：“当然了！怎么不相信吗？你尽管说！”
莎乐美突然沉下脸来，一字一顿地说道：“我要约翰的头！”
此话一出，希律王惊得酒醒了一大半，一时进退维谷。看着国王犹豫不决的表情，莎乐美冷笑道：“难道国王你说话不算话？”希律王顿时后悔不已，但却无可奈何，只好下令处斩约翰。随后又在莎乐美的要求下，把他的头用盘子端了上来。
这就是《圣经》中关于莎乐美和约翰头的故事。莫罗的这幅名画《施洗约翰的头在显灵》，并没有完全照搬原文的意思进行创作，而是把约翰的头设置在圣光之中，莎乐美和她的母亲冷酷地看着眼前的一切，这使得画作显现出一种奇异的气氛。实际上，莫罗非常喜欢莎乐美这个美丽而残忍的形象，并为她创作了很多类似的画作，《施洗约翰的头在显灵》只是其中之一。
——转载于《一幅名画一个故事》
