Judith with the Head of Holofernes

Judith was a Jewish widow who, with God’s help, liberated the besieged town of Bethulia and saved her people. The Bible tells how she beheaded Holofernes, the general of the Babylonian king. Together with her maid Abra, Judith has put the severed head in a basket. The torchlight models the figures out of the darkness, imparting a tension to the scene. Gramatica’s majestic, idealised heroine can be seen as a symbol of the Jewish people in exile.

Credit: Transferred 1865 Kongl. Museum