Judith with the Head of Holofernes

Judith was a young Hebrew widow who, through divine intervention, was able to liberate the besieged town of Bethulia and save her people by seducing, and courageously beheading, the general of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. Rather than the violent act of murder, Gramatica chose a more tranquil moment for his interpretation of the biblical story. The triumphant heroine is shown holding the severed head of Holofernes as a shaft of superbly rendered reflected light from a torch held high illuminates and models her body. Judith’s maidservant, with whom she accomplished the deed, stays close by her mistress’ side, the intimacy and complicity of the two women made apparent. Having placed the general’s bloody head in a basket, they move undetected through the camp under cover of night. Gramatica’s majestic, emotionally remote heroine, with her idealised face and bejewelled costume, personifies the exiled Hebrew nation. The composition, with the massive truncated figures in the foreground, a sombre palette, and accentuated chiaroscuro, was developed through direct knowledge of Caravaggio’s work. The nocturnal setting and dramatic lighting create a sense of genuine excitement.