Jan Sanders van Hemessen - Judith with the head of Holophernes

• Title: Judith with the head of Holophernes
• Artist: Jan Sanders van Hemessen (1500-1560)
• Date: c.1540
• Medium: Oli on wood panel
• Dimensions: 99 × 77 cm

The painting "Judith with the Head of Holofernes" portrays Judith, revered as one of the most heroic women of the Old Testament. According to biblical accounts, during the siege of her city by the Assyrian army, Judith, a beautiful young widow, infiltrated the quarters of the general Holofernes. Through cunning and deception, she gained his trust, inebriated him, and then decapitated him with his own sword, thus delivering her people from imminent peril.

While traditional depictions of Judith often portrayed her adorned in opulent attire, Jan Sanders van Hemessen deviated from this convention by presenting her as a monumental nude figure, wielding her sword aggressively even after executing Holofernes—a choice reminiscent of Michelangelo's artistry.

The composition's tension is accentuated by the figure's strained pose, dramatic lighting, and meticulously rendered surfaces, all working in concert to intensify the narrative impact of the scene.