Art, Symbol & Imagination
The Climax
A kneeling woman raises a severed head towards her face above a black pool. Curving hair, clustered bubbles and a great pale lunar form enclose the embrace. The Climax condenses the final encounter of Wilde’s Salomé into one of Beardsley’s most concentrated black-and-white designs.
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Citation
Aubrey Beardsley. "The Climax" [editorial title]. In Salome, Oscar Wilde; English translation from the French, with sixteen drawings by Aubrey Beardsley. Supplied illustrated edition from John Lane, The Bodley Head; John Lane Company, undated edition, John Lane, The Bodley Head; John Lane Company. Source scan leaf 117. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/beardsley-salome-climax
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
From Aubrey Beardsley’s illustration cycle for Oscar Wilde’s one-act tragedy. The scanned 1907 plate retains its complete composition, border and paper tone. The browsing title follows the volume’s list of pictures.
Sources
From the book
SalomeOscar Wilde; English translation from the French, with sixteen drawings by Aubrey BeardsleyUndated editionMore from this book
All 12 illustrations
Related illustrations
Cite this illustration
Aubrey Beardsley. The Climax. Salome. Scan leaf 117. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/beardsley-salome-climax