Photography by: Roberto G. Rivera Sánchez, Museo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation…

Judith with the Head of Holofernes

Artist Lucas Cranach the Elder (German, 1472-1553)

Dateca. 1527-1537

Object number60.0143

Mediumoil on panel

Dimensions33 13/16 x 22 9/16 in., (85.9 x 57.3 cm,)
frame: 44 1/4 x 32 3/8 x 3 7/8 in. (112.4 x 82.2 x 9.8 cm)

ClassificationsPainting

Credit LineMuseo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc.

Collections

German Painting

DescriptionIn this powerful portrayal of Judith, the heroine of the Old Testament, Cranach depicts her as victorious after she beheads Holofernes, the Assyrian general besieging her city. Juxtaposing serene beauty with a gruesome triumph, she is elegantly dressed in a contemporary red velvet gown trimmed with brocaded fabric and a pearl-embroidered trunk. She holds the enemy’s head with her slashed gloves, which reveal her lavish rings. Her gentle face, with the delicate features typical of the artist, is framed by the golden halo of her hair and jewel-encrusted necklaces. Judith's story has been interpreted as an allegory of the struggle between good and evil, and, therefore, Cranach may have envisioned this composition as a symbol of the battle between the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Church.

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