Paintings> 1600 > 'Judith and Holofernes', oil on canvas, Emilian school of the mid-seventeenth century.
'Judith and Holofernes', oil on canvas, Emilian school of the mid-seventeenth century.
Description:The Bible tells how a rich widow, beautiful, virtuous and God-fearing, managed to save the people of Israel from the siege of the Assyrian general Holofernes.
One night, Judith went along with a maid at the tent of Holofernes, bringing with them gifts and pretending to betray the Jews. Holofernes believed her, invited her to his feast, drank and got drunk. Judith waited for the right moment to kill him and cut off his head with a scimitar.
Judith is, among the biblical figures, a symbol of virtue and devotion to God, very popular in the Catholic tradition, and she has inspired writers, painters and artists.
Our anonymous painter needs to represents the most violent scene of the story, but chooses to do so in a soft way by placing the body of Holofernes without his head, in the background. Judith, at the center of the canvas, is the true protagonist of the scene, in full light and grateful for having been skillful in liberating her people from its oppressor.
Age:Mid-seventeenth century.
Dimensions:35 1/4 x 56 1/2 in
Price: € 4.500,00
Item n°: GF 99
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