Who painted Judith und Holofernes?

Judith und Holofernes was painted by Franz Xaver Wagenschön in 1758.

Where can I see Judith und Holofernes?

Judith und Holofernes is held by Bavarian State Painting Collections.

What movement is Judith und Holofernes?

Judith und Holofernes is associated with Rococo painting.

Artwork

Judith und Holofernes

Franz Xaver Wagenschön , 1758

Judith und Holofernes is an unspecified painting by the Rococo painting artist Franz Xaver Wagenschön. It dates from 1758 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The composition emphasizes her decisive action and the violent climax of the narrative, underscoring themes of female agency and divine justice.

The painting portrays the biblical heroine Judith in the moment of beheading the Assyrian general Holofernes, a scene drawn from the deuterocanonical Book of Judith. The composition emphasizes her decisive action and the violent climax of the narrative, underscoring themes of female agency and divine justice. The work is classified as religious art, reflecting its scriptural source and devotional function within the Alte Pinakothek's collection.

Technique & Style

Judith und Holofernes is a religious painting executed by Franz Xaver Wagenschön in 1758. The work measures 74.5 cm in height by 61 cm in width, indicating a modestly scaled, vertically oriented panel or canvas suited to intimate devotional viewing. Its classification as a painting within the Bavarian State Painting Collections, held at the Alte Pinakothek, is consistent with the oil-based easel tradition typical of mid-eighteenth-century Central European religious production, though the specific medium and support are not detailed in the available records.

Stylistically, the work belongs to the genre of religious art and centers on the biblical subject of Judith and Holofernes, with Judith explicitly named as the depicted figure. No further formal or stylistic attributes, such as palette, brushwork, composition, or condition, are documented in the sources provided.

History & Provenance

Franz Xaver Wagenschön created the painting Judith und Holofernes in 1758. The artwork is a religious piece depicting the biblical story of Judith and Holofernes, and it measures 74.5 by 61 cm.

The work is currently held by the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is located at the Alte Pinakothek.

Overview

Franz Xaver Wagenschön’s 1758 canvas, Judith und Holofernes, presents a dramatic biblical episode rendered in the decorative yet emotionally charged language of the late Rococo. The painting is part of the Alte Pinakothek’s holdings, offering a glimpse into the artist’s synthesis of theatricality and emerging Neoclassical restraint.

Artist & collection

Artist

Franz Xaver Wagenschön

Franz Xaver Wagenschön (2 September 1726, Littisch, Bohemia (now Litíč, Czech Republic) – 1 January 1790, Vienna) was a German Bohemian painter of the Rococo and Neoclassical styles.