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WOMEN IN THE BIBLE
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JUDITH
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The Story |
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| Bible reference | The Book of Judith | ||||||||||
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| 'sword in one hand, olive branch in the other...' |
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Title: 'Judith's Return to Bethulia' Artist: Alessandro Botticelli Date: 1470 Incident shown: Judith has completed her mission and returns to Bethulia, sword in hand. Her maid Abra follows her with Holofernes' head, now wrapped up and carried on the woman's head. Bible reference: Judith 13:10 Comment: Judith has the air and demeanor of a goddess, rather than a mortal woman. She strides across an idealized landscape sword in one hand, olive branch in the other. She will live in peace if she can, but is prepared for war if it is forced upon her.
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'he sank, he fell, he lay still at her feet...'.
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Title: 'Judith and Holofernes' Artist: Andrea Mantegna Date: 1495 Incident shown: Judith lowers the head of Holofernes into a bag, ready to carry it back to the townspeople in her home town of Bethuliah. She is still in danger, but her mission to destroy the Assyrian general is accomplished. Bible reference: Judith 13:9 Comment: One foot is all that is shown of Holofernes' once terrifying warrior's body. In an ironic twist, he has been overcome by a woman. This was a favorite motif in ancient stories - see the story of Jael and the triumphant song in the Book of Judges 5: 'he sank, he fell, he lay still at her feet...'.
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| 'She is remote, untroubled, serene - a goddess, not a human woman who has just committed violent murder.' |
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Title: 'Judith' Artist: Giorgione (1477-1510) Date: 1504 Incident shown: Unlike the other paintings of Judith, this one does not show a particular moment in the story. Holofernes has been killed, but Judith is not in the process of returning to Bethuliah as she subsequently did. The head is not wrapped up, or being displayed on the city walls, but is simply a trophy taken in battle. What sort of battle? The painting is more like a portrait of Judith as a goddess of sexual love - see Giorgione's 'Sleeping Venus' for a similar image of idealized beauty. Biblical reference: Book of Judith Comment: Georgione's image of Judith contrasts dramatically with other paintings of this subject. She is remote, untroubled, serene - a goddess, not a human woman who has just committed violent murder. Giorgione died young, probably of the plague in Venice, but his works have remarkable maturity and a certain enigmatic quality. |
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'Judith and Abra hurry away from the scene of the murder'
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Title: 'Judith carries away the head of Holofernes' Artist: Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564) Date: 1508-1512 Incident shown: Holofernes' lifeless body lies in the background as Judith and Abra hurry away from the scene of the murder. Abra carries the grisly head on a tray/basket, and Judith attempts to cover it from sight. Bible reference: Judith 13:9-11 Comment: This is part of the fresco in the Sistine Chapel. When he came to choose images for the Chapel, Michelangelo seems to have focused on heroic deeds, or on seminal moments in the story of God's unfolding plan. He saw Judith as one such hero, leaving the obscurity of her life as a widow in a small city to undertake terrifying actions that would ultimately save her people.
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| 'There has been some argument about the identity of the woman in this painting.' |
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Title: 'Judith with the head of Holofernes' Artist: Titian (1488-1576) Date: c.1515 Incident shown: Judith has cut off the head of the enemy general Holofernes, and now prepares to carry it back to the townspeople of Bethuliah. Bible reference: Judith 13:9-10 Comment: There has been some argument about the identity of the woman in this painting. The confusion arose because the decapitated head is carried on a silver platter, traditionally the way that John the Baptist is depicted. This would then make the woman Salome. But the adoring expression on the face of the second woman suggests that she is Abla, Judith's servant, and this seems more likely. It is generally accepted now that this is, in fact, a painting of Judith, done at the beginning of Titian's career.
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| 'she toys in an an absnet-minded way with the lifeless head' |
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Title: 'Judith with the Head of Holofernes' Artist: Lucas Cranach Date: 1530 Incident shown: Judith's right hand holds the sword, instrument of death. The fingers of her left hand as entwined in Holofernes' hair, as she toys in an absent-minded way with the lifeless head. Biblical reference: Judith 13:6-9 Comment: The story of Judith struck a chord with the Protestant
reformers, since it described the courage of a small nation as it
resisted a tyrant from outside who sought to impose his own beliefs
about God on them. The Protestant states cast themselves as Judith, and
Catholicism and the Pope as Holofernes. There was also an attempt at
this time to
balance the preponderance of male heroes in Christian tradition with
biblical heroines who could be role models of particular virtues. |
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| '..a dark and gruesome trophy for the Judean inhabitants of Bethuliah' |
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Title: 'Judith with the head of Holofernes' Artist: Titian (1488-1576) Date: 1570 Incident shown: Judith has cut off the head of Holofernes and now picks it up by its hair, to lower into the bag held by her maid Abra. Bible reference: Judith 13:9-10 Comment: This is a painting made by Titian towards the end of his life. His Judith is a luminous, serene beauty assisted by a black servant woman. The head of Holofernes is truly terrifying, a dark and gruesome trophy for the Judean inhabitants of Bethuliah.
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| 'Judith slices his neck with a look of mild concentration, as if she is carving the Sunday roast.' |
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Title: Judith Beheading Holofernes' Artist: Caravaggio Date: 1599 Incident shown: Judith has steeled herself to cut into Holofernes' neck, using his own sword. The maid Abra stands ready to catch the severed head when it falls away. Bible reference: Judith 13:7-8 Comment: Caravaggio has painted a magnificent Holofernes, muscled, strong, powerful. His horrified face is the attention-grabbing focus of this picture. Judith, on the other hand, slices his neck with a look of mild concentration, as if she is carving the Sunday roast. The colors, harmonious composition and shading of the painting are superb, as we would expect from Caravaggio. But magnificent as the painting is, it does not convey the ghastly horror of the event.
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| 'The body of Holofernes, now separated from his head, seems to writhe in its death throes.' |
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Title: 'Judith and the head of Holofernes' Artist: Giovanni Baglione Date: 1608 Incident shown: The body of Holofernes, now separated from his head, seems to writhe in its death throes. Judith has grasped the head by its hair and is moving away from the couch. Her maid looks back in horror at the body. Bible reference: Judith 13:8-9 Comment: Contrast this image with Caravaggio's (above). Judith seems remarkably tranquil in the circumstances, while her maid registers shock and horror. But note in particular the different treatment of Holofernes' body. Here in Baglione's painting the body itself is almost hidden. What we can see of it is distorted and writhing, the head quite separate from the body - altogether, a figure of horror. |
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| 'These two women are not idealized beauties but real people...' |
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Title: 'Judith and her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes' Artist: Orazio Gentileschi, (father of Artemisia) Date: 1610-12 Incident shown: The deed is done - Judith still holds the sword in her hand. Now the fearful women stop to listen, to see if an alarm has been raised. Bible reference: Judith 13:9-10 Comment: Orazio Gentileschi seems to have been more interested in the woman themselves than in the violent crime they had committed. These two women are not idealized beauties but real people, both with their own personalities and agendas. This makes the painting sharply different from many of the others completed at that time, and may have something to do with the rape of his daughter Artemisia Gentileschi - a real person to her father, not just an unnamed victim of crime.
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| 'This painting was made at about the time that Artemisia Gentileschi was raped by her tutor...' |
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Title: 'Judith Beheading Holofernes' Artist: Artemisia Gentileschi Date: c.1612 Incident shown: This is a rare depiction of something other paintings ignore: the fight that Holofernes may or may not have put up when he was being murdered. Here, in the moment of dying, he presses his right hand up against his assailant, attempting to fight her off. Judith's body seems to flinch away - from Holofernes? or from what she is doing? Bible reference: Judith 13:8 Comment: This painting was made at about the time that Artemisia Gentileschi was raped by her tutor, the Tuscan painter Agostino Tassi. There is obviously a certain amount of personal relish in the painting, with underlying themes of castration and impotency. The story of Judith doubtless appealed to Gentileschi, depicting as it did the triumph of female guile over male force.
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| '...a picture of a warrior, perhaps the biblical David who is the male equivalent of Judith.' |
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Title: 'Judith and her Maidservant' Artist: Artemisia Gentileschi Date: 1613-14 Incident shown: Judith's maid Abra has gathered up the head of Holofernes in a basket, and they are preparing to leave his tent when they hear something which makes them stop and listen. The danger of their situation is implied by the position of the sword in Judith's hand: a few more inches and it will cut into her own white throat. Bible reference: Judith 13:10 Comment: Close-ups of the painting show that the brooch in her hair is a picture of a warrior, perhaps the biblical David who is the male equivalent of Judith.
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| 'Perhaps it is a comment on the balance of power within their own relationship....' |
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Title: Judith with the head of Holofernes' Artist: Cristofano Allori Date: 1613 Incident shown: Judith has hacked off the head of Holofernes and now puts away the sword she used to do the deed. Her maid leans anxiously towards her, protectively, urging the dazed Judith to move with more speed. Bible reference: Judith 13:10 Comment: The head of Holofernes is said to be a portrait of the artist, and the woman in the picture was modeled on his mistress, a famous beauty called Mazzafirra. Perhaps it is a comment on the balance of power within their own relationship - she having conquered him and now holding him helpless in her grip. His face is already drained of color, a dramatic contrast to the rich material of her robe. |
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| '....just the way you would to make an opening for a large round object, be it a cabbage or a human head.' |
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Title: 'Judith with the Head of Holofernes'
Artist: Carlo Saraceni (1579-1620) Date: 1615-20 Incident shown: The maid's anxious face looks up for reassurance to Judith, who despite the horror of the situation appears calm, almost serene. She holds the head of Holofernes in her left hand, ready to drop it in the bag held by her maid. Bible reference: Judith 13:9-10 Comment: The darkness of the painting suggests the secretive nature of what they are doing, the need for stealth. In reality it is unlikely that Judith was as calm as she appears in this picture, but there is an unexpected touch of realism in the way the maid holds the bag. She grips one point between her teeth and makes an opening by holding two other points with her hands - just the way you would to make an opening for a large round object, be it a cabbage or a human head.
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| 'Her expression is strange - dazed, almost detached.' |
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Title: 'Judith in the Tent of Holofernes' Artist: Johann Liss (1595 - 1631) Date: 1622 Incident shown: Judith has cut off the head of Holofernes and looks back over her shoulder, out towards the viewer. Her expression is strange - dazed, almost detached. She and her servant Alba are placing the severed head in a basket. Bible reference: Judith 13:8-9 Comment: Caravaggio's influence is clearly evident in Liss's painting - the sumptuous flesh tones, lavish fabrics and dramatic lighting. The twisted gold fabric draws the eye upward towards Judith's naked back and the ambiguous glance she casts over her shoulder. Holofernes' hapless body pushes out into the foreground of the painting. An unusual feature of the painting is the black servant who stands behind Judith, looking up at her. |
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| '..they seem to have heard something, and pause, waiting to see if they have been discovered' |
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Title: 'Judith and her Maidservant With the Head of Holofernes' Artist: Artemisia Gentileschi Date: c. 1625 Incident shown: Judith has killed Holofernes, and now her maid Abra crams the bloody head into a sack, to carry it back to Bethuliah. But they seem to have heard something, and pause, waiting to see if they have been discovered. If they have, they know they will die too. , Bible reference: Judith 13:8-9 Comment: The tension of the scene is almost palpable. Danger is close as Judith and her maid Abra gather up the severed head of Holofernes, preparing to flee from the enemy camp, back to safety in Bethulia. The light and shadow emphasise the imminent danger as Judith and Abra prepare to flee Holofernes's tent with his severed head. We can almost smell and feel their fear.
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| '...the much-feared Holofernes is really dead.' |
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Title: 'Judith with the Head of Holofernes' Artist: Elisabetta Sirani (1638-1665) Date: circa 1660 Incident shown: Judith has returned to Bethuliah, and now draws the head of Holofernes out of the sack her maid has carried. Two attendants run to light her way with torches. Now all the townspeople and all the enemy soldiers can see that the much-feared Holofernes is really dead. Biblical reference: Judith 13:15 Comment: Elizabeth Sirani came from a prominent family of artists - her father was Giovanni Adrea Sirano, principal assistant of Guido Reni. She died at the early age of 27. She has placed Judith in a medieval setting - note the castle ramparts in the background.
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| 'And is that a Star of David above her left shoulder?' |
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Title: 'Judith and Holofernes' Artist: Gustav Klimt 1862-1918 Date: 1901-2 Incident shown: Judith is dressed in the rich clothing and lavish jewellery she wore when she went to meet Holofernes. Some commentators have suggested that the oversize golden choker at her neck suggests decapitation. Her clothing is disarrayed, but her look is triumphant as she holds the head of her enemy by her side. Bible reference: Book of Judith Comment: There are similarities between this Art Nouveau painting and Byzantine icons: both make lavish use of gold leaf, both depict female heroines in elongated form. The gold-leaf landscape behind her, with laden palm trees, is reminiscent of ancient Assyrian wall drawings of the Tree of Life. And is that a Star of David above her left shoulder?
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| 'Her gorgeous robe has fallen away from her body and her hair is disarranged' |
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Title: 'Judith' Artist: Gustav Klimt Date: 1909 Incident shown: Judith stands, her fingers clenched in the hair of Holofernes' head. Her gorgeous robe has fallen away from her body and her hair is disarranged, but she seems calm, oblivious of her surroundings, almost in shock. Bible reference: Book of Judith 13:9 Comment: This painting has often been labeled 'Salome', because it depicts a half-naked woman carrying a man's severed head. In fact, Judith is portrayed here. Though it is an archetypal Art Nouveau painting, there are many similarities with Old Master images of Judith: an impassive, half-clothed woman, disguised tension that makes itself seen in the rigidity of the hands, the sumptuous dress.
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