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 Medus