Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History


    • Judith with the Head of Holofernes, ca. 1530
    Lucas Cranach the Elder (German, 1472–1553)
    Oil on wood; 35 1/4 x 24 3/8 in. (89.5 x 61.9 cm)
    Rogers Fund, 1911 (11.15)

    Judith, who is adorned "so as to allure the eyes of all men that should see her" (Judith 10:4, Apocrypha), demurely rests her arm on the severed head of Holofernes, her people's enemy. Her fantastically elaborate costume is characteristic of Cranach's courtly mannerism. Cranach painted several versions of the apocryphal Old Testament heroine. Here, he represented Judith as one of his typically delicate, blonde women, whose circumspect expression contrasts sharply with the heavy sword in her right hand and the bluntly lifeless head resting under her left. The goriness of the severed neck must have offended the sensibilities of an owner of the painting, because it was concealed with an extra layer of beard, which was removed by a restorer after the Museum acquired the work. This version has been dated about 1530.

    This work of art also appears on Connections: Hands

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    This work has been published in the Museum's Bulletin or Journal. These articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship.
  • Okada, Barbra Teri "Netsuke: The Small Sculptures of Japan." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 38, no. 2 (Fall, 1980).
    JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs
    • "Director" PDF
  • Von Bothmer, Dietrich "A Greek and Roman Treasury." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 42, no. 1 (Summer, 1984).
    JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs
    • "Director" PDF
  • Arnold, Dorothea "An Egyptian Bestiary." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 52, no. 4 (Spring, 1995).
    JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs
    • "Director" PDF
    • "Introduction" PDF
  • Fay, Biri "Egyptian Duck Flasks of Blue Anhydrite." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 33 (1998).
    JSTOR | PDF
  • Guzzo, Pietro Giovanni "A Group of Hellenistic Silver Objects in the Metropolitan Museum." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 38 (2003).
    JSTOR | PDF
  • Strouse, Jean "J. Pierpont Morgan: Financier and Collector." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 57, no. 3 (Winter, 1999–2000).
    JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs
    • "Director" PDF
  • Young, Eric "Sculptors' Models or Votives?: In Defense of a Scholarly Tradition." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 22, no. 7 (March, 1964).
    JSTOR | PDF
    • On view: Gallery 643
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    • Judith with the Head of Holofernes, ca. 1530
    Lucas Cranach the Elder (German, 1472–1553)
    Oil on wood; 35 1/4 x 24 3/8 in. (89.5 x 61.9 cm)
    Rogers Fund, 1911 (11.15)

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