Herodias

Herodias was a princess of the Herodian dynasty of Judaea during the time of the Roman Empire.  The Gospel of Mark states that Herodias was married to Philip, therefore some scholars have argued his name was Herod Philip. There was one daughter from this marriage, Salome. According to Mark 6:21–29, the daughter of Herodias danced before Herod and her mother Herodias at the occasion of his birthday, and in doing so gave her mother the opportunity to obtain the head of John the Baptist. Even though the New Testament accounts do not mention a name for the girl, this daughter of Herodias is often identified with Salome. According to Mark's gospel, Herodias bore a grudge against John for stating that Herod's marriage to her was unlawful; she encouraged her daughter to demand that John be executed.

In today's painting by Paul Delaroche we see this family scene—the mother with a look on her face of a perfectly done job and the daughter in the shadows behind John's head.

P.S. Another popular subject from the Bible that was popular in art is the story of Judith and Holofernes. See the best paintings depicting this feminist theme in the history of art here!