Judith Slaying Holofernes

If you see a girl with a man's head, it's either Judith with Holofernes’ head, or Salome with John the Baptist’s. Here we present you Judith with Holofernes’ head, painted by one of the very few female painters of Baroque—Artemisia Gentileschi. Judith was a beautiful Jewish widow from the Old Testament. She seduced the hostile army chief then, decapitated him with her servant's help. This motif is quite popular, especially in the epoques that were focused on the mysterious character of women. Apparently the painting was personally significant for Artemisia—she depicted Judith as herself and Holofernes shared the likeness of her mentor Agostino Tassi, who was tried in court for her rape.