Judith Seated on the Body of Holofernes

About this work

This engraving shows a woman sitting on the ground with a man’s head in her lap. She holds a sword in one hand and a scroll in the other. The man’s body lies sprawled beside her, covered in grass and tangled cloth. The lines are sharp and dark, creating deep shadows on the paper. The artist used tiny parallel lines to build up the dark areas—this is called cross-hatching. It makes the scene feel dramatic and textured, almost like carving into the paper. Next, look up technique: engraving, cross-hatching to see how artists like this one made shadows pop.