Cornelis Galle I, Peter Paul Rubens, and others
Judith Cutting off the Head of Holophernes
c. 1616
Scroll
- Artist: Cornelis Galle I
- Artist: Peter Paul Rubens
- Publisher: Adriaen Collaert
Judith Cutting off the Head of Holophernes
c. 1616
Physical Qualities
Engraving, 514 × 375 mm. (20 1/4 × 14 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Garrett Collection
Object Number
1946.112.11801
Judith seduced the Assyrian general Holofernes, who had laid siege on her people, the Israelites, then decapitated him. The gruesomeness of the act, conveyed through the arresting detail of Judith’s fingers hooking into Holofernes’ open mouth as she cuts through his neck with a sword, contrasts powerfully with her elegant and sensual appearance. While the historical accuracy of the Book of Judith is doubtful, the alluring Jewish heroine nevertheless continued to loom large in the artistic imagination ofthe pre-modern era.
Andaleeb Banta, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Women Behaving Badly: 400 Years of Power and Protest," July 18 - December 19, 2021.
Markings: CM: Claghorn
