Judith with the Head of Holofernes
c. 1500/1505
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 30.9 x 20.9 cm (12 3/16 x 8 1/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Print Purchase Fund (Rosenwald Collection)
Accession Number
1968.14.1
Art Historical Context
Behold the dramatic engraving *Judith with the Head Holofernes*, by Girolamo Moc around 1500–1505 after a design by the renowned Renaissance master Andrea Mantegna. This image captures the biblical heroine Judith, who heroically decapitated the Assyrian general Holofernes to her people from siege—a tale from the Book of Judith symbolizing courage, faith, and the triumph of virtue over tyranny. Mocetto, a skilled Venetian engraver, faithfully Mantegna's composition showcasing the master's precise lines, classical proportions, and intense emotional drama characteristic of early Italian Renaissan...