''Judith Slaying Holofernes'' is a 1620–1621 painting by Artemisia Gentileschi, now in the

Uffizi Gallery The Uffizi Gallery (; it, Galleria degli Uffizi, italic=no, ) is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums ...

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

. Like her earlier version of the work, Judith is thought to be a self-portrait. This connection may relate to Artemisia's sexual assault at the hands of her father's colleague,

Agostino Tassi Agostino Tassi (born Agostino Buonamici; 1578 – 1644) was an Italian landscape and seascape painter, who was convicted of raping Artemisia Gentileschi in 1612. Because he aspired to nobility he modified the details of his early life. Though h ...

. When Artemisia was 17, her neighbor—an older woman named Tuzia—let Tassi into Artemisia’s home through an adjoining door. There, he raped her, while Artemisia called out for help. Artemisia’s father,

Orazio Gentileschi Orazio Lomi Gentileschi (1563–1639) was an Italian painter. Born in Tuscany, he began his career in Rome, painting in a Mannerist style, much of his work consisting of painting the figures within the decorative schemes of other artists. After ...

, sued Tassi for taking his only daughter’s virginity. During the trial, Artemisia recounted the altercation with Tassi and her effort to defend herself, stating: "After he had done his business he got off me. When I saw myself free, I went to the table drawer and took a knife and moved toward Agostino, saying, 'I'd like to kill you with this knife because you have dishonored me.'" Artemisia painted an earlier version of ''Judith and Holofernes'' ( Museo Capodimonte,

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

) sometime before 1612. In this later version, Artemisia added a detail that supports the idea that she identified with Judith. On the bracelet Judith wears is a depiction of

Artemis In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified wit ...

—a Goddess who guarded her virginity carefully against those who tried to dishonor or rape her; those that threatened this met a violent end.

Subject

Judith was a well-off widow from the city of Bethulia. While the war with Assyrian army was at large, Bethulia was close to surrendering. The Assyrians were led by General

Holofernes In the deuterocanonical Book of Judith, Holofernes ( grc, Ὀλοφέρνης; he, הולופרנס) was an invading Assyrian general known for having been beheaded by Judith, a Hebrew widow who entered his camp and beheaded him while he was ...

. Judith, pretending to become a woman of the opposite side in the war, devised a plan to kill Holofernes. Being a traditionally captivating woman with her beauty, Judith was brought back to Holofernes' private living quarters. Along with her side-woman and maid, Judith slayed Holofernes with his own sword. Severing the head, Judith put it in a knapsack, and returned to her home in Bethulia.

References

{{Artemisia Gentileschi Paintings by Artemisia Gentileschi 1621 paintings Paintings in the collection of the Uffizi Paintings about death