The Reclining Headless Body of Holofernes; Study of Female Semi-Nude Figure (on a small separate, unrelated sheet of blue paper, pasted onto the lower left of the large sheet)
This large sheet contains a study, probably drawn from life, for the left arm and shoulder of the headless body of Holofernes in a painted canvas portraying Judith and Holofernes executed by Reni in the mid-1620's. The Metropolitan Museum owns three reproductive engravings after this composition (nos. 51.501.4564; 51.501.4574; and 51.501.5060), and moreover, an exquisite study for the head of the Old Testament heroine (no.1992.70), which was formerly from the collection of the Earls of Leicester at Holkham Hall.
The delicately drawn study of a half-draped female figure at lower left, also by Guido Reni, is a separate sketch that has been pasted by a collector, most likely Sebastiano Resta (see Warwick 2000) onto the larger sheet containing the drawing of Holofernes's body. The style and technique seem more typical of Reni's drawings of about a decade later, around 1635-40 (see especially Uffizi 12452 F, Florence), and the design generally relates, in mirror image, to the poses of Andromeda in the versions of the painted composition of 1635-36 in the Galleria Pallavicini, Rome, and that formerly with Colnaghi's, London (see Bibliography and Pepper 1988).
(Carmen C. Bambach, June 4, 2004, revised 2014)
The delicately drawn study of a half-draped female figure at lower left, also by Guido Reni, is a separate sketch that has been pasted by a collector, most likely Sebastiano Resta (see Warwick 2000) onto the larger sheet containing the drawing of Holofernes's body. The style and technique seem more typical of Reni's drawings of about a decade later, around 1635-40 (see especially Uffizi 12452 F, Florence), and the design generally relates, in mirror image, to the poses of Andromeda in the versions of the painted composition of 1635-36 in the Galleria Pallavicini, Rome, and that formerly with Colnaghi's, London (see Bibliography and Pepper 1988).
(Carmen C. Bambach, June 4, 2004, revised 2014)
Artwork Details
- Title: The Reclining Headless Body of Holofernes; Study of Female Semi-Nude Figure (on a small separate, unrelated sheet of blue paper, pasted onto the lower left of the large sheet)
- Artist: Guido Reni (Italian, Bologna 1575–1642 Bologna) (the study of Holofernes only)
- Date: 1625–40
- Medium: Black chalk on brownish paper that may have been originally blue (Holofernes); black chalk on blue paper (female figure)
- Dimensions: 15 x 10 1/4 in. (38.1 x 26 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1962
- Object Number: 62.123.1
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.