Mariamne Leaving the Judgement Seat of Herod

John William Waterhouse's 1887 depiction of Mariamne leaving the judgment seat of Herod draws on the story of the Hasmonean princess who was executed by her husband Herod the Great in 29 BCE after a series of accusations and counter-accusations. The subject — a proud, wrongly condemned queen walking with dignity from a kangaroo court — had theatrical resonance that appealed to Victorian audiences who admired defiant female virtue. Waterhouse returned repeatedly to women of the ancient world who met tragic fates with courage, a theme running through his Ophelia, Hylas and the Nymphs, and Lady of Shalott.

Waterhouse stages the scene with the theatrical grandeur expected of Victorian historical painting, placing Mariamne at the center of a dynamic composition as she turns away from the judgment seat. The elaborate historical costume and architectural setting are rendered with careful academic research. Her bearing — proud and controlled — is the emotional center of the painting.