Judith with the Head of Holofernes by Lucas Cranach the Elder - c. 1530 - 87 x 56 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum Judith with the Head of Holofernes by Lucas Cranach the Elder - c. 1530 - 87 x 56 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum

Judith with the Head of Holofernes

oil on panel • 87 x 56 cm
  • Lucas Cranach the Elder - c. 1472 - October 16, 1553 Lucas Cranach the Elder c. 1530

This painting is a work of extremes. On the one hand, the painting depicts beautiful Judith, dressed to the fashion of Cranach's days. On the other hand, we see the horrible details of the act she just committed: the veins in the neck of Holofernes. Cranach made at least five paintings on this subject, all showing Judith and the head in a similar pose.