Judith from Heroes and Heroines of the Old Testament
ca. 1597
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 17 5/16 x 13 in. (44 x 33 cm) Plate (oval): 16 1/2 x 12 13/16 in. (41.9 x 32.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.929.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 16th century, artist Hendrick Goltzi created this striking engraving, *Judith from Heroes and Heroines of the Testament* (ca. 1597), capturing the biblical heroine at a pivotal moment. Judith, from the Book of Judith in the Apocrypha,uced and beheaded the Assyrian general Holofernes to save people—a tale of cunning, courage, and divine intervention that resonated in Renaissance art as a symbol of female empowerment and faith triumphing over tyranny. Goltzius, a master of Mannerism, included this oval composition in a celebrated series glorifying Old Testament figures, blending clas...