-
1 of 253523 objects
Judith with the Head of Holofernes Dated 1513?
Oil on panel | 60.1 x 85.4 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 406042
Marco Palmezzano (Forlì c. 1460-Forlì 1539)
Judith with the Head of Holofernes Dated 1513?
-
The Book of Judith tells how Judith saved her people by seducing and killing the Assyrian general Holofernes, getting him drunk before decapitating him with his own sword. A popular subject in art, Judith is usually shown, as here, accompanied by her servant, who holds a basket into which she places the head. In the background is Holofernes’ tent and a winding road which leads to a Judith’s home town of Bethulia.
There are three other versions of this composition from Palmezzano’s workshop (Musée Ariana, Geneva, signed and dated 1525; Private collection, Milan, signed and dated 1526; and Berkeley Castle, with a false signature and the date 1536). In this version the quality of painting of Holofernes’ head is considerably subtler than the rest of the painting, which is somewhat hard and occasionally clumsy in drawing, suggesting that the work was probably largely executed by studio assistants.
Inscribed on the sword: ‘IVDIT’ and on a cartellino on the basket a long inscription, presumably the full signature but now only the date visible as ‘MCCCCCXII..’ (i.e., either 1513 or 1514).Provenance
One of the group of early Italian works from the 77 paintings belonging to Prince Ludwig von Oettingen-Wallerstein (1791-1870), which were first offered to Prince Albert in 1847 as security for a loan and came into his possession by default (no 19 in Waagen’s catalogue of 1854); 25 of them were accepted by the National Gallery in 1863.
-
Creator(s)
(nationality)Acquirer(s)
-
/* render($featured_in); */
Medium and techniques
Oil on panel
Measurements
60.1 x 85.4 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)
84.0 x 109.0 x 7.0 cm (frame, external)
Category
Object type(s)