Judith with the Head of Holofernes Self-researched

Artist: Cristofano Allori
Location: Palazzo Pitti, Florence
Medium: Oil on canvas
Date: 1613

Biblical Context

Judith and Holofernes - The story of the Jewish widow Judith who saves her people by beheading the Assyrian general Holofernes.

One of the most celebrated paintings of the Florentine Seicento, depicting Judith holding the severed head of Holofernes while her maidservant waits with a bag. Allori reportedly used his own face as the model for Holofernes, his mistress for Judith, and her mother for the maidservant, lending the painting an intensely personal subtext. Multiple versions exist, with this being the finest.