About the Artwork
This impressive composition was made by Artemisia Gentileschi, the first woman to become a member of the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno in Florence. Judith and Her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes represents the aftermath of the episode in the Jewish Bible in which the brave widow Judith, aided by her maidservant, kills the Assyrian enemy general Holofernes to save Israel. In Gentileschi’s canvas — executed with a directness that sets it apart from many contemporary renditions of the same subject — Judith still brandishes a sword and appears to pause in alarm; Holofernes’s decapitated head lies at her feet. The theatrical, intense lighting of the scene echoes the work of Michelangelo da Caravaggio. However, in its naturalism and clear sympathy for the fear and apprehension of its female protagonists, this painting is entirely unique to Artemisia herself.
Judith and Her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes
ca.1623-1625
Artemisia Gentileschi
1593-1653 (?)
Italian
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Oil on canvas
Unframed: 73 11/16 × 55 7/8 × 1 5/16 inches (187.2 × 142 × 3.3 cm) Framed: 90 1/2 × 72 1/2 × 8 1/2 inches (229.9 × 184.2 × 21.6 cm) Weight 276 lbs
Paintings
European Painting
Gift of Mr. Leslie H. Green
52.253
Public Domain
Markings
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Provenance
1952, Prince Brancaccio (Rome, Italy);(Alessandro Morandotti, Rome, Italy) and (Adolph Loewi, New York, New York, USA) co-owners;
1952, purchased by Leslie H. Green [d.1973] (Bloomfield, Michigan, USA);
1952-present, gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
For more information on provenance, please visit:
Provenance pageExhibition History
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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.
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Suggest FeedbackPublished References
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Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith and Her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes, ca.1623-1625, oil on canvas. Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of Mr. Leslie H. Green, 52.253.
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