Description
Judith Beheading Holofernes is a painting by Caravaggio from 1598–1599: a young widow in a white blouse cuts off the head of the Assyrian general with a sword, while the old maid Abra stands by with a bag. The original, oil on canvas, is 195 cm wide and 145 cm high and belongs to the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica in Palazzo Barberini, Rome. Our painter paints it for you by hand in oils on canvas, in 8 landscape sizes from 56 x 40 to 195 x 140 cm or made to measure, and we send you a photograph of the finished painting before it leaves us.
| Title: | Judith Beheading Holofernes |
| Other titles: | Giuditta che decapita Oloferne · Judith enthauptet Holofernes |
| Painter: | Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610) |
| Year painted: | 1598–1599 |
| Original size: | 145 cm x 195 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Painting style: | Baroque, tenebrism |
| Located at: | Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica (Palazzo Barberini), Rome, Italy |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas, 8 sizes or made to measure |
Judith Beheading Holofernes – Caravaggio
What does Judith Beheading Holofernes show?
The scene plays out on a shallow stage against an almost black ground. A heavy, dark red curtain hangs across the top of the canvas; below it Holofernes lies bare-chested on a bed of white sheets, turning his head towards the woman who is killing him.
On the right stands Judith, a young woman in a white blouse with full sleeves and a golden-brown skirt. With one hand she grips him by the hair, with the other she draws the sword through his neck, keeping her body as far from him as she can.
Close behind her the old maid Abra leans in, a white cloth tied over her head. She holds a cloth bag ready in both hands and watches with a tense, lined face. The light comes from the side and catches the three faces, Judith’s arms and the white of sheets and blouse.
What is the story of Judith and Holofernes?
The story comes from the deuterocanonical Book of Judith. Judith, a widow, serves her people by deceiving Holofernes, the Assyrian general.
After a banquet she stays with him in his tent. When he passes out drunk, she takes up the sword, goes to his bed, takes hold of his hair as the biblical text describes, and beheads him.
Caravaggio paints neither the moment before nor the triumph after, but the act itself. According to Wikipedia he chose the moment of greatest dramatic impact, which puts the viewer almost beside the bed.
Her brows are drawn together and her lips pressed tight; Wikipedia reads in it a mix of determination and repulsion.
Why is it so famous?
Because Caravaggio tells the biblical story with no distance at all. The figures are placed as if on a stage, lit from the side against the black background, so nothing pulls the eye away from the three faces.
X-rays have shown that he moved Holofernes’ head as he worked, separating it slightly from the torso and shifting it a fraction to the right.
Artemisia Gentileschi and other painters were deeply influenced by the work. The model for Judith was probably Fillide Melandroni, who sat for several Caravaggio works in these years.
A young woman with a sword, but entirely at rest, appears in Saint Catherine of Alexandria, where the saint kneels beside her broken wheel. The dating and the patron are discussed in the Wikipedia article, written in English.
Where is the original, and how did it get there?
The original is in the collection of the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica in Rome and can be seen in Palazzo Barberini. The canvas is 195 cm wide and 145 cm high.
According to the painter and biographer Giovanni Baglione, the work was commissioned by the Genoese banker Ottavio Costa. It was rediscovered only in 1950.
The date is debated. Wikipedia gives about 1599–1600 or 1602, and the exhibition Dentro Caravaggio at the Royal Palace of Milan argued for 1602 because of the light sketches found under the paint. We list it as 1598–1599.
Judith Beheading Holofernes or another Caravaggio?
This Judith is a canvas painting for anyone who likes a strong story, a red drape and a hard contrast of light and dark. The broad landscape format fills the wall above a sofa, a dining table or a sideboard.
A biblical story with a severed head, told in a quieter voice, is Salome with the Head of John the Baptist: the executioner holds the head over a silver platter while Salome turns her face away. The young hero after his victory over the giant is the subject of David and Goliath in the Prado in Madrid, where the boy kneels on Goliath’s body and binds his hair.
If you prefer stillness to action, choose Penitent Magdalene, with the young woman sitting with her head bowed. You will find the other famous Caravaggio paintings in our range on the Caravaggio page.
How does our painter paint Judith?
We start on your Judith only once you have ordered it. The painter first covers the canvas with a dark ground, then draws the three figures, the bed and the folds of the curtain with a thin brush, so that hands, sword and heads land exactly in place.
Then he lays the colour on layer by layer, from the darkest passages to the lights. The curtain gets a deep red with dark folds, the sheets and blouse a cool white, the skirt a warm golden brown. He spends longest on the faces.
This Caravaggio reproduction has a real layer of paint you can feel under your fingers. Like any oil painting reproduction, Judith changes with the light: by day the curtain stays dark and calm, while under an evening lamp the red glows and the white steps out of the dark.
Which size for which wall?
In short: 56 x 40 or 63 x 45 cm above a chest of drawers or in an alcove, 80 x 59 or 90 x 66 cm for a hallway or study, 114 x 82 or 125 x 97 cm above a sofa or dining table, and 170 x 125 or 195 x 140 cm for a large wall.
We paint Judith Beheading Holofernes in 8 landscape sizes (width x height): 56 x 40, 63 x 45, 80 x 59, 90 x 66, 114 x 82, 125 x 97, 170 x 125 and 195 x 140 cm. The closest to the original is the largest, 195 x 140 cm: just as wide as Caravaggio’s canvas, but 5 cm lower.
With three figures and a lot of dark space, we suggest at least 114 x 82 cm, or the faces become very small. As a painting for the living room it works best at 125 x 97 or 170 x 125 cm above the sofa, where it reads from across the room.
Can I order another size or a frame?
Of course. For a size of your own we adapt the composition so that all three heads, Judith’s sword arm and Abra’s bag stay whole. Send us the width and height you have in mind and we will come back with a price and a painting time.
Judith leaves us rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or ready framed. Our workshop in Slovenia stretches and frames Judith, then packs her carefully for the road. You choose the frame in our 3D app, which is only for picking the moulding; seeing the painting on your own wall is a separate service.
The dark ground and the red curtain sit well with a dark wooden frame or a broader gold moulding with an antique patina.
When will the painting arrive, and how does it travel?
We begin painting once you confirm the order, and within 15 to 45 working days your Judith is ready to travel. Before that we send you a photograph of the finished painting; if you would like something changed, we do it before dispatch. No customs duties apply within Slovenia or anywhere else in the EU, and every order falls under our returns policy.
As a gift it is a bold choice: for a lover of the Baroque, a collector of biblical scenes or someone named Judith. If you cannot decide on a size, a wall art voucher lets the recipient pick one for themselves.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see the original?
In the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica, in Palazzo Barberini in Rome.
Who is the old woman on the right?
Abra, Judith’s maid, who stands at her side during the deed.
Is it a print?
No. Each Judith is worked with a brush, so you receive a hand-painted copy, not a print.
How big is Caravaggio’s original?
195 cm wide and 145 cm high; our largest size, 195 x 140 cm, is only 5 cm lower.
Can I have it in my own size?
Yes, we paint Judith to your measurements too; send us the width and height and we will quote a price.
How long does it take?
15 to 45 working days, and before dispatch you see your Judith in a photograph.
Does it suit a bedroom?
The scene is dramatic; a living room, dining room or hallway suits it better than the wall above the bed.
When was it painted?
We date it 1598–1599; Wikipedia gives about 1599–1600 or 1602.
- Subject: Judith in a white blouse holds Holofernes by the hair and beheads him with a sword; the old maid Abra holds a bag ready; a red curtain hangs above.
- Original: 1598–1599, oil on canvas, 145 x 195 cm, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica (Palazzo Barberini), Rome.
- Ours: painted by hand in oils on canvas, 8 landscape sizes from 56 x 40 to 195 x 140 cm or a size you choose.
- Worth knowing: X-rays show that Caravaggio moved Holofernes’ head while he was painting.
