Artwork
Judith
Judith is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Parmigianino. It dates from 1522 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1522, the black‑and‑white etching titled Judith is attributed to the Italian Mannerist Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola, known as Parmigianino. Executed as a print, it depicts a dramatic encounter between two robed figures, one upright with a sword and the other kneeling, set against a background of swirling lines that suggest clouds or drapery.
Subject & Meaning
The composition references the biblical heroine Judith, who beheads the Assyrian general Holofernes. In the print, the standing figure brandishes a sword while the kneeling figure tilts its head back, capturing a moment of tension and impending violence that underscores the narrative’s themes of bravery and sacrifice.
Technique & Style
Parmigianino employs fine, incisive lines characteristic of early etching, using contrast to convey movement and emotion without color. The elongated proportions of the bodies and the flowing, exaggerated drapery reflect the Mannerist taste for refined sensuality and artificial elegance, while the swirling background adds a sense of atmospheric turbulence.
History & Provenance
The work originates from Parmigianino’s itinerant career, which included periods in Florence, Rome, Bologna, and his native Parma. Though the exact ownership trail is unclear, the print survives in several European collections, attesting to its circulation among connoisseurs of Mannerist prints during the 16th and 17th centuries.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (11 January 1503 – 24 August 1540), also known as Francesco Mazzola or, more commonly, as Parmigianino (UK: US: Italian:; "the little one from Parma"), was an Italian Mannerist painter…
