Judith, after Goltzius
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
sheet: 5 5/16 x 4 in. (13.5 x 10.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.481
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking woodcut captures the dramatic biblical tale of Judith, the courageous widow who beheads the tyrannical Assyrian general Holofernes to save her people. The composition emphasizes the moment of triumph, with Judith holding the sword and Holofernes’s severed head, symbols of strength, faith, and moral victory that resonated deeply in 16th- and 17th-century Europe. Created by Christoffel van Sichem I after a design by Hendrick Goltzius, the print showcases the bold lines and expressive contrasts typical of Northern Mannerist woodcuts. Goltzius, a master of engraving and printmaking,...