Artwork
Judith with the Head of Holofernes
Judith with the Head of Holofernes is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Massimo Stanzione. It dates from 1630 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the biblical heroine Judith holding the severed head of the Assyrian general Holofernes, a subject drawn from the deuterocanonial Book of Judith. This narrative of a woman who beheads an enemy leader to save her people was a popular theme in Baroque religious art, often interpreted as an allegory of virtue triumphing over tyranny and a symbol of divine deliverance. The work's iconography centers on Judith as the protagonist, with the beheaded head serving as the grisly trophy of her decisive, violent act of patriotism and faith.
Technique & Style
Stylistically, the work belongs to the religious genre tradition, with its large-scale vertical format suited to the dramatic narrative subject.
Judith with the Head of Holofernes is an oil painting on canvas, classified as a religious work. The canvas measures 124.5 cm in height by 103.5 cm in width. The composition depicts Judith and Holofernes, including the beheaded head, executed in oil paint as its medium.
Stylistically, the work belongs to the religious genre tradition, with its large-scale vertical format suited to the dramatic narrative subject. The painting is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, where its oil-on-canvas technique is consistent with the Baroque practice of the period in which Massimo Stanzione worked.
History & Provenance
Massimo Stanzione painted Judith with the Head of Holofernes as an oil on canvas work in the early 17th century. The painting entered the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, where it remains on view in the American and European paintings galleries. It was acquired through the museum’s general acquisition fund and has been part of the permanent collection since the mid‑20th century.
The work was catalogued in the museum’s records as accession number 94.181, confirming its attribution to Stanzione and its religious subject matter.
Massimo Stanzione's oil painting Judith with the Head of Holofernes is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The work is cataloged under the accession number 94.181. The painting measures 124.5 cm in height and 103.5 cm in width.
No specific exhibition history or provenance trail beyond its current institutional holding is detailed in the available records.
Overview
Created circa 1630 by the Neapolitan Baroque painter Massimo Stanzione, this oil on canvas presents the biblical heroine Judith clutching the severed head of the Assyrian general Holofernes. The work is part of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’s collection and exemplifies Stanzione’s engagement with dramatic religious subjects during the early Italian Baroque period.
Context
Stanzione’s career was marked by commissions for biblical scenes and altarpieces, often integrating the dramatic lighting and compositional vigor of the Neapolitan school. This work aligns with contemporary depictions of Judith, a subject favored for its moral resonance, and demonstrates the artist’s synthesis of Caravaggesque realism with the graceful classicism favored by his patrons.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Massimo Stanzione (also called Stanzioni; Frattamaggiore 1585 – Naples 1656) was an Italian Baroque painter, mainly active in Naples, where he and his rival Jusepe de Ribera dominated the painting scene for several decades.
