At Monticello, it hung in the upper tier in the Parlour. When entering it as item no.22 in his own "Catalogue of Paintings &t" he described the artwork: "Herodias bearing the head of St. John in a platter. a 3/4 length of full size on canvas, copied from Simon Vouett, purchased from St. Severin's collection, Catal. No. 248. the subject Matt 14.11. Mark 6.2.8." The painting is a scene from the story of the beheading of John the Baptist. In order to kill the prophet, jealous Herodias bade her daughter, Salome, to dance for the king Herod. The King was so entranced by her dance he offered to grant the girl any wish. At the request of her mother, she asked for the head of the Baptist, which was delivered to her on a platter. Jefferson seems to have been misinformed as to the subject of the painting and the artist of the original. The auction catalogue for the St. Severin sale listed the painting as Herodiade by Vouet. It turns out, however, that the painting is almost an exact copy of a painting by Guido Reni, now located at the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica in Rome. Reni's early 17th century painting is generally regarded as Salome, rather than her mother, Herodias. The French artist, Vouett, a contemporary of Reni, did in fact complete a version of this Biblical story. His painting, however, is quite different than Reni's.