Artwork
Judith with the head of Holofernes
Judith with the head of Holofernes is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Alessandro Varotari. It dates from 1636 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Painted in 1636 by Alessandro Varotari, this oil on canvas depicts the biblical heroine Judith holding the severed head of the Assyrian general Holofernes.
Painted in 1636 by Alessandro Varotari, this oil on canvas depicts the biblical heroine Judith holding the severed head of the Assyrian general Holofernes. The work illustrates the dramatic moment following Judith's decapitation of the enemy leader, a narrative central to religious art traditions. By focusing on the female protagonist and her gruesome trophy, the painting explores themes of virtue triumphing over tyranny and the unexpected power of the weak against the strong.
The composition serves as a visual representation of the Book of Judith, emphasizing the moral and spiritual victory achieved through the protagonist's courageous act.
Technique & Style
Alessandro Varotari's Judith with the head of Holofernes is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. Created in 1636, the work measures 112 cm in height and 85 cm in width. Classified as a religious painting, the piece depicts the biblical figure Judith holding the severed head of Holofernes.
The composition focuses on this central narrative subject, rendered through the artist's handling of oil media on the stretched fabric.
History & Provenance
The painting was created in 1636 by Alessandro Varotari as an oil on canvas work. It entered the collection of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria and remains in the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, where it is catalogued under the ownership of the Archduke and later institutional holdings.
Judith with the head of Holofernes by Alessandro Varotari is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. The painting, an oil on canvas dated 1636, is documented in the museum's holdings through Wikidata records that list the Kunsthistorisches Museum as both its current location and owning institution.
The provenance recorded for the work traces its ownership through Bartolomeo della Nave and Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria before entering the Kunsthistorisches Museum. No specific exhibition history or accession number is provided in the available sources.
Overview
Alessandro Varotari, commonly referred to as Il Padovanino, completed the oil painting Judith with the Head of Holofernes in 1636. Executed during the early Baroque period in Italy, the canvas presents a dramatic biblical scene in which Judith clutches the severed head of the Assyrian general Holofernes. The work now belongs to the permanent collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
Artist & collection
Artist
Alessandro Leone Varotari (4 April 1588 – 20 July 1649), also commonly known as Il Padovanino, was a Venetian painter of the late-Mannerist and early-Baroque Venetian school, best known for having mentored Pietro…
