Description
The Return of Judith to Bethulia is an early work by Sandro Botticelli from around 1470–1472: the young Jewish widow Judith hurries back over the hills to her city with her maid, a sword in her right hand and an olive branch in her left. The original, a tiny tempera on panel only 31 cm high and 24 cm wide, hangs in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Our painter hand-paints it for you in oil on canvas in 8 portrait sizes from 30 x 40 to 156 x 200 cm, or made to measure, and every one of them is larger than the wooden panel. When your Judith is finished, we send you a photograph of it.
| Title: | The Return of Judith to Bethulia |
| Other titles: | Ritorno di Giuditta a Betulia (Italian title) · Juditina vrnitev v Betulijo (Slovene title) |
| Painter: | Sandro Botticelli (c. 1445–1510) |
| Year painted: | c. 1470–1472 |
| Original size: | 31 cm x 24 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | Tempera on panel |
| Painting style: | Early Renaissance |
| Located at: | Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted in oil on canvas, 8 sizes or made to measure |
The Return of Judith to Bethulia – Sandro Botticelli
What does The Return of Judith to Bethulia show?
Two women hurry across a grassy slope as if carried by the wind. In front walks Judith in a pale grey-blue dress with gathered sleeves, a neckline edged with pearls and a fine chain at her throat; red-gold curls fall to her shoulders.
In her right hand she carries a curved sword at her side, and with her left she raises a slender olive branch. Close behind her runs her maid Abra in orange, with a white headscarf, her eyes fixed on her mistress. Balanced on the maid’s head is the head of Holofernes, wrapped in a white cloth whose end streams in the wind.
On the right stands a slim tree with dark green leaves, and behind the women a wide valley opens out with a river. In the distance you can make out the walls and gates of the city, while groups of armed horsemen ride across the plain to meet her.
What is the story behind the painting?
Botticelli took the episode from the deuterocanonical Book of Judith. Bethulia was besieged by the army of the Assyrian general Holofernes, and its people were losing hope. Judith, a young and beautiful widow, went with her faithful maid into the enemy camp and killed the general there to save her people.
Botticelli did not paint the deed itself but the moment after it: the quiet, swift journey home. The olive branch in her hand is the sign of the peace she has won for Israel; the sword recalls how she won it.
The little panel has a companion piece, The Discovery of the Body of Holofernes, also in the Uffizi: a scene in the tent where the general’s men find out what has happened. There, dark tones prevail; here, light colours and open country.
Why is the painting so famous?
Small as they are, the two Judith panels rank among the best-known narrative scenes of Botticelli’s youth; scholars agree on the attribution but not on the date. Judith’s face, with its long neck, high cheekbones and wistful look, closely resembles the central figure of Fortitude, the allegory of that virtue commissioned in 1470. Similarities with the work of Antonio del Pollaiolo lead most scholars to a date around 1470 or 1472, while Sergio Bettini places it slightly earlier, in 1467–1468, and sees the influence of Mantegna.
The English Wikipedia article, written in English, covers the dating and history of the panel in more detail.
Where is the original today?
The original hangs in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence beside its companion, the scene in the tent of Holofernes. Both panels entered the Uffizi collections in 1632.
Raffaello Borghini, in his Riposo, describes two small pictures that Ridolfo Sirigatti gave to Grand Duchess Bianca Cappello, who wished to adorn her writing cabinet with paintings and antique statues. Between 1587 and 1632 the inventory of the Casino Mediceo di San Marco lists them together in one walnut frame, as a diptych.
Sandro Botticelli was born Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi around 1445 in the Borgo Ognissanti district of Florence, the son of a tanner. He learned to paint under Filippo Lippi. He died on 17 May 1510; after his fame faded, the Pre-Raphaelites rediscovered him in the late 19th century.
The Return of Judith or another Botticelli?
This is a canvas painting for those who like a calm yet tense story with two figures and a deep landscape.
Botticelli came back to courageous women from history later on. The Story of Lucretia and The Story of Virginia tell, in several successive scenes, the fate of two women from Roman history. For an allegory with many figures, look at Calumny of Apelles.
The full range, from Madonnas to mythologies, is on our Sandro Botticelli page, where famous Botticelli paintings and lesser-known panels alike are painted to order.
How do we hand-paint The Return of Judith to Bethulia?
Botticelli’s original is not an oil painting but tempera on a wooden panel of 31 x 24 cm (height x width). Our oil painting reproduction is built up on canvas, layer by layer, so you can have it rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or framed.
The painter first sketches the two figures and the tree, then paints the sky, the distant mountains and the river valley.
Last comes the fine work: Judith’s curls, the pearls at her neckline, the blade of the sword, the leaves of the olive branch, and the tiny horsemen and city walls in the distance. Because every size of this Sandro Botticelli reproduction is larger than the original, these details get more room on canvas than on the little panel in Florence.
Which size suits which wall?
In short: the smaller sizes above a bedside table, a shelf or on a narrow wall, the middle ones above a chest of drawers or a bed, the largest for a big wall in the living room or hallway.
We paint The Return of Judith to Bethulia in 8 portrait sizes (width x height): 30 x 40, 36 x 48, 48 x 60, 60 x 81, 77 x 100, 97 x 127, 124 x 157 and 156 x 200 cm. The original measures only 24 x 31 cm (width x height), so every one of these sizes is larger: 30 x 40 cm just exceeds it, and 156 x 200 cm is more than six times as tall as the panel in the Uffizi.
Up to 48 x 60 cm Judith suits a bedroom, a home office or the wall above a chest of drawers. As a painting for the living room it works best from 77 x 100 cm upwards, where you can make out Judith’s face, the sword and the olive branch from the sofa.
Can I have a different size, and which frame suits it?
Yes. For a different ratio we keep both women and the tree whole and adjust the sky, the grassy slope in the foreground or the valley at the edge. Send us a request for a custom size and we will reply with a price and a delivery date.
We send The Return of Judith rolled in a tube, stretched on a stretcher bar or ready framed. Our workshop in Slovenia stretches and frames Judith and packs her safely for the road. You choose the frame for your Judith in our 3D app; seeing the painting on your own wall is a separate service.
When will your Return of Judith to Bethulia arrive?
Your Judith is ready for dispatch 15 to 45 working days after you confirm the order. When the painter lays down the brush, we send you a photograph of the finished painting, and any change you ask for is made before packing.
Within Slovenia and the rest of the EU Judith travels without customs duties, and every purchase is covered by our returns policy.
If you do not know the recipient’s wall, give a gift voucher and let them choose the painting and size themselves.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see the original?
In the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, where it hangs beside its companion scene in the tent.
Who is the woman with the sword and olive branch?
Judith, the young widow of the Book of Judith who saved Bethulia; her maid Abra hurries behind her.
Is it a print?
No, it is a hand-painted copy: our painter lays every fold, curl and leaf onto the canvas with a brush and oil paint.
How big is the original panel?
31 x 24 cm (height x width); even our smallest size, 30 x 40 cm, is a little larger.
Can you paint Judith in a size that is not listed?
Yes. Send us the width and height you want, and we will quote a price and a date for your Judith.
How long will I wait, and how does Judith travel?
15 to 45 working days until dispatch; she travels rolled, stretched or framed.
Is Judith a good choice for a bedroom or as a gift?
Yes. Its quiet grey-blue, orange and green tones are restful, and the heroine is a fine symbol of courage.
What does the olive branch in Judith’s hand mean?
It stands for the peace that Judith’s deed brought to her people.
- Subject: Judith, with sword and olive branch, returns with her maid towards Bethulia while horsemen ride in the valley behind.
- Original: tempera on panel, c. 1470–1472, 31 x 24 cm, Uffizi Gallery, Florence.
- Ours: hand-painted in oil on canvas, 8 sizes from 30 x 40 to 156 x 200 cm, or made to measure, each larger than the 24 x 31 cm panel.
- Worth knowing: the panel has a companion, The Discovery of the Body of Holofernes, and the two once shared a single walnut frame.
