Judith with the Head of Holofernes

Benvenuto Tisi da Garofalo's Judith with the Head of Holofernes belongs to the tradition of heroic female subjects that appealed to Italian Renaissance patrons who valued the combination of beauty and moral courage. Judith's decapitation of the Assyrian general who threatened her city was a story of patriotic self-sacrifice, and the subject was particularly popular in states facing external threats. Garofalo's Ferrarese version brings the Este court's aesthetic refinement to the subject, depicting Judith with the calm composure and classical beauty that characterized his idealized female figures, the grim trophy held with remarkable dignity.

The figure of Judith with her trophy is rendered with Garofalo's characteristic warmth and idealized beauty. The Ferrarese palette and Raphaelesque figure type give the violent subject an unexpected gracefulness.