Editorial View
The Gallery's Perspective
There is a quiet certainty in her profile — an uncomplicated dignity that feels both personal and timeless. The warm ochre headwrap and the single blue teardrop earring give the portrait a gentle focal point against the deep ultramarine backdrop, where soft, cloudlike highlights suggest sky or presence without spelling it out. Her skin and the subtle lines at the cheek and eye are rendered with sympathetic, tactile modeling that reads as experience rather than age, and the patterned robe at the shoulder adds a humble richness to her bearing. Everything here — the steady gaze, the calm mouth, the muted but deliberate palette — creates a sense of composed strength and thoughtful resolve. It’s the kind of portrait that settles into a room as a reassuring, quietly sure presence.
The Artwork
About Mother Salome
Salome (not the one related to Herod) was one of the women in Christ’s inner circle. While the canonized text merely identifies her as a “follower” Christ and one of the women present at his empty tomb, other historical documents and apocryphal writings give us a much richer picture. They indicate she was the mother of the apostles James and John and possibly a close relative of Mother Mary. While the current English translation labels her as a follower, or simply someone within Christ’s social retinue, older translations label her as a disciple, or a theological student, of Christ. Just one of the many examples of how the women in the New Testament have been stripped of their ecclesiastical importance with time. Historical writings also indicate she may have led a congregation of Christians after Christ’s death. As the mother of two apostles, I imagine her as wise and weathered matron within the early Christian church. A woman who had a quiet but persuasive presence. A woman empowered by the message and leadership of Christ. She is set against a background of lapis lazuli a symbol of the presence of deity, the heavens, wisdom, and truth in many ancient cultures. Coincidentally the paint color primarily used for the background, ultramarine, was historically made from ground lapis and was one of the most expensive paints in the market for hundreds of years, hence why it was often reserved for the clothing of Mother Mary in paintings. ?
Imported from Havenlight. Source: https://havenlight.com/products/mother-salome-by-esther-candari
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Image Rights
Image copyright © 2026 by Esther Hiilani Candari.
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Limited-edition artwork includes a Certificate of Authenticity when one is issued by the artist, publisher, studio, or authorized source. Open-edition pieces may not include a certificate; this does not affect their authenticity. The Collection Shop sources artwork through artists, publishers, authorized distributors, galleries, and other approved channels. Any additional documentation included with this specific piece will be noted above.
Esther Hi’ilani Candari was born to a mixed Asian American family and raised on the beautiful eastern shore of Oahu, Hawai'i. As an artist, her work reflects her rich multicultural upbringing and often draws upon Polynesian symbols and cultural ideologies.
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