The Climax, illustration for Salome
Paper size
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Small
23 x 30 cm
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Medium
31 x 40 cm
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Large
47 x 60 cm
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Extra-Large
63 x 80 cm
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Unframed
- 1.5 cm black stained ash box frame - stained and waxed
- 300gsm textured fine art paper
- cm white mount - acid free, extra thick smooth white mount board with a white core
- Printed image size:
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- Details
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- About custom prints
The Climax, illustration for Oscar Wilde's play Salome, published by John Lane
Line block print by Aubrey Beardsley (1872-98)
England, 1907
The print shows the levitating figure of Salome dressed in a white robe and with writhing snake-like curling black hair as she holds the severed head of John the Baptist (Jokanaan) complete with tendril-like hair and dripping blood.
These drips form a puddle in the lower right hand section of the design, from which a white lily grows statuesquely. In the top left hand corner of the image is a cluster of circular black and white objects, perhaps referencing the 'clusters of black grapes' to which Salome compares John's hair.
Custom printed on 300gsm textured fine art paper.
Delivery
Our standard delivery charges and estimated timescales are as follows. Selected product exceptions apply; see product details. International deliveries may also be subject to customs fees or taxes upon arrival, which are your responsibility.
Please note: New orders are now likely to arrive after Christmas. For last minute gifts, visit our museum shops until 23 Dec, or explore our digital options such as V&A Membership.
Custom prints
Each print is made to order and dispatched separately to other V&A Shop products, for UK delivery only. The charges and estimated timescales below are in addition to our standard delivery charge when bought together with a V&A Shop product. However, delivery is free for all orders over £60.
Returns
An extended returns window is granted over the Christmas period. Orders placed from Friday 1 November 2024 can be returned until Monday 20 January 2025.
We hope you are happy with your V&A Shop purchase. However, if you are not, most items are eligible for a full refund, subject to the criteria below. Refunds are offered for items in an unused, unopened condition, and with original packaging – with the following exceptions. This does not affect your statutory rights.
The following items are excluded from our returns policy and cannot be refunded unless faulty, damaged, or not as described:
- Custom prints and other items made to your specification or personalised;
- Items that have been sealed for hygiene reasons, where the seal has been broken, such as beauty products, soap, pierced earrings, hosiery, socks, sunglasses and face coverings;
- Perishable or edible items such as flowers or food;
- Memberships, tickets for exhibitions, bookings for events and courses.
For full details, visit our Delivery & Returns page.
From our gallery walls to yours
High quality art prints of images from across the V&A collections. Spanning Japanese woodblock prints to book illustration, textile designs and photography this collection of prints offers a glimpse into the rich and diverse nature of the V&A.
Made in England on the Sussex coast by leading print producers King & McGaw, our prints are hand finished and framed by skilled craftsmen using responsibly sourced materials, carefully packaged and delivered directly to your door.
The process is simple:
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Additional details
PAPER:
We use fine art paper sourced from UK paper mills for our prints. The paper type has been chosen to best suit the original artwork.
INKS:
Each artwork is giclée printed using archival quality inks.
MOUNT:
Acid free, extra thick smooth white mount board with a white core.
GLAZING:
We use clear acrylic glazing for safety and longevity.
FRAMING:
Framed by hand in Sussex by skilled craftsmen using responsibly sourced materials, the finished product has a taped back and is supplied ready to hang.
PACKAGING:
Each print is carefully packaged to ensure safe transportation, using 100% recyclable materials.
COPYRIGHT:
Please note that a copyright line is included under the image.
Aubrey Beardsley
Born in Brighton in 1872, Aubrey Beardsley was an English illustrator and author. He had a distinctive and now iconic style, using black ink to create his graphic drawings inspired by Japanese woodcuts. His fascination with the grotesque, the erotic and the decadent made him a controversial figure at the time, but also hugely fashionable. He worked closely with Oscar Wilde, producing illustrations to accompany the English edition of Wilde’s opera, Salome. Instrumental in the beginnings of the Art Nouveau movement, Beardsley was hugely prolific during his tragically short career; he worked seriously for only six years before his death from tuberculosis at the age of 25.