Artwork
Judith with the head of Holofernes
Judith with the head of Holofernes is an unspecified painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Lucas Cranach the Elder. It dates from 1530 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a work of religious genre, the piece emphasizes the moral and spiritual significance of Judith's decisive action against the enemy leader.
The painting depicts the biblical narrative of Judith and Holofernes, a central theme in religious art. The composition focuses on Judith holding the severed head of the Assyrian general Holofernes, illustrating the moment of his decapitation. This imagery serves as a representation of virtue triumphing over tyranny and the deliverance of the Jewish people from invasion.
As a work of religious genre, the piece emphasizes the moral and spiritual significance of Judith's decisive action against the enemy leader.
Technique & Style
Executed on a lime wood panel, the work measures 86 cm by 55.7 cm. Cranach employs oil paint to render precise outlines and subtle modeling, creating a flattened pictorial space characteristic of Northern Renaissance courtly style. The composition emphasizes stark chiaroscuro that isolates Judith’s decisive action against the severed head of Holofernes, while the decorative drapery and ornamental details reflect the artist’s blend of narrative clarity and courtly elegance.
History & Provenance
Lucas Cranach the Elder painted Judith with the head of Holofernes in 1530 as a lime panel work. The painting entered the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it remains displayed in German paintings hall XI. Its creation history is documented through its inception date of 1530 and material specifications of 86 cm height and 55.7 cm width, establishing both its chronological and physical parameters within the museum's holdings.
The painting is held in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, where it forms part of the museum's collection of German paintings and is displayed in hall XI. It is catalogued as a work by Lucas Cranach the Elder, executed on a lime panel in 1530.
No specific inventory or accession number is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history beyond its current placement in the Kunsthistorisches Museum's German paintings collection is documented.
Overview
Created around 1530, this lime‑panel painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder portrays the biblical heroine Judith holding the severed head of the Assyrian general Holofernes. The work is part of the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Lucas Cranach the Elder was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving.
