''Judith with the Head of Holofernes'' is an Italian Renaissance painting attributed to

Andrea Mantegna Andrea Mantegna (, ; ; September 13, 1506) was an Italian Renaissance painter, a student of Ancient Rome, Roman archeology, and son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with Perspective (graphical), pe ...

or to a follower of his, possibly Giulio Campagnola. Painted in tempera in around 1495 or 1500, it depicts the common artistic subject of

Judith beheading Holofernes The account of the beheading of Holofernes by Judith is given in the deuterocanonical Book of Judith, and is the subject of many paintings and sculptures from the Renaissance art, Renaissance and Baroque periods. In the story, Judith, a beautifu ...

History

The painting has been dated through comparison with similar

grisaille Grisaille ( or ; , from ''gris'' 'grey') means in general any European painting that is painted in grey. History Giotto used grisaille in the lower registers of his frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua () and Robert Campin, Jan van Ey ...

panels with Old Testament subjects which Mantegna produced around 1495 and 1500. The work was perhaps included in the Gonzaga collection acquired by

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. Charles was born ...

in 1628. Given to William Herbert, 6th Earl of Pembroke, it was inherited by his heirs until it was sold in London in 1917. After a series of different owners, it was acquired in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

by Joseph E. Widener in 1923. In 1942, it was donated to the

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was privately established in ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Description

In a relatively serene interpretation of the theme, Judith is portrayed standing under the pink tent of Holofernes (whose foot can be seen on the right) immediately after beheading him, still holding the blade. She is dropping the head into a sack held by a maid. The composition also appears in Mantegna's ''grisaille'' paintings of this subject in Dublin and in Montreal, and a drawing in the of the

Uffizi The Uffizi Gallery ( ; , ) is a prominent art museum 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 and the most visited, it is also one of th ...

. The panel has brilliant and variegated colors, resembling a miniature. The ground, painted in diagonal perspective, is composed of stone and earth slabs, some of which are out of position. It is painted with

tempera Tempera (), also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk. ''Tempera'' also refers to the paintings done in ...

with gold and silver.

References

Bibliography

* ''La Grande Storia dell'Arte – Il Quattrocento'', ''

Il Sole 24 Ore (; English: "The Sun 24 Hours") is the Italian financial newspaper of record, owned by Confindustria, the Italian employers' federation. is the leading financial daily in Italy. History and profile was first published on 9 November 1965 as ...

'', 2005 * Kleiner, Frank S. ''Gardner's Art Through the Ages'', 13th edition, 2008 * Manca, Joseph. ''Andrea Mantegna and the Italian Renaissance'', 2006

External links

Page at the National Gallery of Art's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Judith with the Head of Holofernes (Mantegna, Washington) 1495 paintings Paintings by Andrea Mantegna Paintings in the National Gallery of Art Paintings of Judith Paintings about death Christian art about death category:Gonzaga art collection Tempera paintings