Judith with the Head of Holofernes
ca. 1640
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
78 1/2 x 57 1/2 in. (199.4 x 146.1 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Edward W. Carter, 1959
Accession Number
59.40
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *Judith with the Head Holofernes*, a dramatic oil on canvas by Neapolitan Baroque master Massimo Stanzione, created around 1640. This monumental work (nearly 78 by 57 inches) captures the heroine Judith, a Jewish widow who seduced and beheaded the Assyrian general Holofernes to save her city of Bethulia from siege, as recounted in the Book of Judith Stanzione's depiction emphasizes Judith's poised strength and beauty, gripping the severed head and sword—hallmarks of the scene seen in tags like "Swords," "Heads," "Holofernes," and "Judith." A follower of Caravaggio, Stanzione employed t...