Judith Addressing the Elders of Bethulia, plate three from The Story of Judith and Holofernes
1564
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 20.2 × 24.8 cm (8 × 9 13/16 in.); Plate: 20.4 × 25 cm (8 1/16 × 9 7/8 in.); Sheet: 23.3 × 28.4 cm (9 3/16 × 11 3/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
212978
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Since the Renaissance the biblical story of the wily widow Judith’s slaying of the Assyrian general Holofernes appeared in a multitude of artworks. Yet rarely has the narrative been shown in full. These Philip Galle engravings tell much more of the story, from the hatching of the diabolical Assyrian plot to conquer the Israelites to the moment Holofernes’s body is discovered. The members of the prolific Galle family of printmakers were effective at translating Maarten van Heemskerck’s heroically...
About the Artist
Philips Galle · 1537–1612
Philips Galle (1537–1612) was a leading Netherlandish engraver, designer, and print publisher whose career bridged the vibrant artistic scenes of Haarlem and Antwerp. Born in Haarlem, he studied under the humanist engraver Dirck Volkertsz. Coornhert, honing his skills in reproductive printmaking. Early on, Galle produced engravings after the Haarlem master Maarten van Heemskerck, capturing the Man...