Judith
<p>The biblical heroine Judith freed the Hebrews from Assyrian oppression by seducing the general Holofernes and decapitating him in his drunken stupor. Here Israhel van Meckenem depicted Judith stuffing Holofernes’s head into her maidservant’s pouch while a battle rages in the background. Van Meckenem’s depiction of the gruesome act is matter-of-fact. While the decapitated body remains visible, the sword is clean and the setting devoid of blood.</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1490
- Dimensions
- Sheet trimmed within platemark: 21.4 × 31.8 cm (8 7/16 × 12 9/16 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
Artist
Printmaking
Israhel van Meckenem the Younger
Full artist profile →More
More by Israhel van Meckenem, the younger
The Death of Lucretia
1500 · Engraving printed in black on buff laid paper
The Four Witches
1497 · Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
A Man and Woman Seated on a Bed
1495 · Engraving on ivory laid paper
The Knight and the Lady
1495 · Engraving printed in black on cream laid paper
The Churchgoers
1495 · Engraving on ivory laid paper
The Churchgoers
1495 · Engraving on ivory laid paper
Record
Verified by WattsOS- Year
- 1490
- Dimensions
- Sheet trimmed within platemark: 21.4 × 31.8 cm (8 7/16 × 12 9/16 in.)
- Watts ID
- WW-1490-139799
Source
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified