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Primary sourcePaintingc. 1623-1625

Judith and Maidservant with Head of Holofernes

Artemisia Gentileschi · c. 1623-1625

A tense, candlelit scene showing Judith and her maid moments after killing Holofernes, considered by many Gentileschi's finest work.

A mature work by Gentileschi, widely regarded as among her finest, continuing her treatment of the Judith theme.

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Painting of two women in a dark room lit by a single candle on a table. A woman in a gold dress and white sleeves holds a sword and gazes left, while a maidservant in a white headscarf and purple dress kneels beside a dark bundle. A red curtain hangs above.
Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith and Her Maidservant, c. 1623-1625. Detroit Institute of Arts.

About this source

What it is

Painted around 1623–1625 by Artemisia Gentileschi, this work shows the maidservant Abra wrapping Holofernes's severed head in a bag while Judith keeps watch, candlelight illuminating the scene. It now hangs in the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Why it matters

Many historians consider this Gentileschi's finest painting, admired for its dramatic use of a single candle's light and its focus on the tense aftermath rather than the killing itself. Writers have linked the intensity of her Judith paintings to her own rape trial against Agostino Tassi, though the exact meaning remains debated among scholars like Elizabeth Cropper and Jesse M. Locker.

Look closer

  • How does showing the aftermath, rather than the act, change the mood of the painting?
  • What does the single candle do to the composition and emotion?
  • Why might this version be seen as more sophisticated than Gentileschi's earlier Judith paintings?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Artemisia Gentileschi on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Painting of two women and a severed head on a bed. A woman in a white headscarf and dark blue dress leans over, gripping a sword that cuts through a man's neck. A second woman in gold dress holds the man's hair. Red blood sprays and a red cloth lies beside a bare leg.Painting

Primary source

Judith Beheading Holofernes

Artemisia Gentileschi · c. 1620

Painting of a nude woman with long curly hair sitting on a stone ledge, covering her body with her arms and raising one hand. Two men lean over the ledge behind her; the older man wears a red cloak and the other wears a brown cloak. The sky is cloudy.Painting

Primary source

Susanna and the Elders

Artemisia Gentileschi · 1610

Painting of a woman in a blue dress pinning a bearded man's head down on a white bed while an older woman in a red shawl holds his body. Blood runs down the sheets. Dark background.Painting

Primary source

Judith Slaying Holofernes

Artemisia Gentileschi · 1612-1613

Painting of a woman with dark hair in a bun, wearing a green dress with a white collar and a gold chain necklace with a pendant. She raises a brush in her right hand toward a dark brown canvas and holds a palette with brushes in her left hand.Painting

Primary source

Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting

Artemisia Gentileschi · c. 1638-1639

Painting of a woman with auburn hair wearing a cream turban with small golden spikes and a halo, holding a palm frond in one hand and resting the other on a large spiked wheel. She wears a red dress with a gold-yellow cloak against a dark background.Painting

Primary source

Self-Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Artemisia Gentileschi · c. 1615-1617

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