There is still another subject of a religious nature that Henner undertook the following year: _The Head of St. John the Baptist_, a work of striking realism. At the same Salon, that of 1877, he also exhibited a pagan subject, _Evening_, representing a woman couched upon the grass and viewed from behind, completely enveloped in the masses of her red-gold hair. Next came _The Naiads_, whose sculpture-like silhouettes are profiled against the silvered background of a superbly lighted landscape. It was this canvas which inspired Armand Sylvestre to write a very charming poem, in which the following lines are included: By dreaming waters under sleeping skies, Where nature's bowl entraps the widening stream, A troupe of naiads, hid from mortal eyes, Toss to the breeze their tresses' golden sheen. At the Salon of 1878, Henner was represented by several pictures. To begin with, there was _Holbein's Wife and Children_, the artist's tribute to the memory of the by-gone master who had been the source of his first enthusiasm and first inspiration: furthermore, _The Young Girl in Black_ and _The Lady with the Umbrella_. In 1879 came _The Eclogue_, a composition of classic harmony and beauty. With elbows leaning on the margin of a well, a nymph of resplendent beauty stands upright in an attitude of reverie. In front of her, a companion is bending over the mirror-like surface of a stream which crosses the landscape, and her glowing hair envelops her wholly, like a mantle of gold. The sombre verdure of the great trees emphasizes the dazzling whiteness of the two female forms; above and beyond the foliage, a glimpse of blue sky adds its glad and luminous note. We must not forget _The Magdalen_, which was the most widely discussed work exhibited at this Salon. The subject was one of which the artist was especially fond; he treated it a number of times, and it almost seemed as though he wanted to prove the variability of a brush that never repeated itself and of a talent that was continually renewed. This time the penitent of the Gospel story is crouching in the entrance to a cave, in an attitude of prayer. In the half shadow cast by the overhanging rock, the body of the Magdalen radiates brightness, while ripples of light shimmer through her golden tresses. This beautiful picture is to be seen to-day in the Petit Palais, in the room reserved for the works of Henner. Each succeeding year now brought new masterpieces and new triumphs. Two paintings were shown in the Salon of 1880: _Sleep_ and _The Fountain_. The first of these represents a young girl, almost a child, sunken in profound sleep. Around the face, in its golden frame of hair, the artist has diffused an aureole of peace, candour, and innocence which brings to mind some legendary saint. Rarely has the artist achieved such perfection of line and such beauty of expression. The painting was purchased by the Prince de Broglie.