This etching may have served as the genesis for not one but two illustrations in the Herodias sequence. Not only do we see Matisse experimenting with how to present the interaction of Herodias and her nurse, but also the small head sketched at bottom left anticipates the final iconic image of Herodias displayed in the next case. While the exact order of execution of Matisse’s preparatory drawings studies is for the most part undocumented (except in instances where Matisse inscribed roman numerals on the sheets after the fact), for certain illustrations, Matisse used the etching needle to develop his composition, rather than pencil.