Flemish school. Circle of RUBENS, Pieter Paul (Siegen, Germany, 1577 - Antwerp, 1640), 17th century."Herod's Banquet".Oil on copper.Measurements: 69 x 86 cm .; 87 x 101 cm. (Frame).It is estimated that the author of this oil on copper must have been part of the circle of Rubens, on whose painting "The Feast of Herod" (preserved in the National Gallery of Scotland) this composition is based. As in the original painting, it is a banquet with numerous figures in an interior opened by an arch at the back and a canopy on the right side, fully baroque solutions. Salome presents Herod with the head of John the Baptist, and like a wave of chain reactions each character exclaims, bows, turns away... showing us a bold gallery of expressions of sumptuous attire. The painter, following Rubens, represents the characters according to the contemporary fashion. The lighting and the colorfulness of the velvety and pearly tones of the garments are outstanding, as well as the deep drama of the faces and gestures, which freeze an instant of great intensity.Bautista had reproached King Herod Antipas for his marriage to Herodias, since she had divorced her first husband, Herod Philip, the king's brother, to marry Antipas. On Herod's birthday, Salome offered him a dance and he told her to make a wish. Salome, instigated by Herodias, asked for the head of the Baptist. This scene has been widely represented in the history of art, with different compositions, more or less dramatic.