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Primary sourcePaintingc. 1620

Judith Beheading Holofernes

Artemisia Gentileschi · c. 1620

A violent painting of Judith and her maid killing the Assyrian general Holofernes, painted by Artemisia Gentileschi for the Medici court.

Gentileschi painted this work herself, one of her most famous treatments of the Judith theme.

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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.
Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Beheading Holofernes, c. 1620. Uffizi Gallery, Florence.

About this source

What it is

This oil painting, made around 1620 by Artemisia Gentileschi, shows Judith and her servant Abra beheading the Assyrian general Holofernes, a story from the Book of Judith. It was painted for Grand Duke Cosimo II de' Medici and hangs today in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

Why it matters

Gentileschi painted this scene more than once; this Uffizi version is a later, more refined treatment than her earlier Naples painting. Her use of dramatic light and shadow (chiaroscuro) and unflinching realism show the influence of Caravaggio, but her focus on the physical struggle and the active role of both women set her apart from most male painters of the subject.

Look closer

  • What does the composition emphasize: the violence, the women's effort, or something else?
  • Why might a female painter choose to depict this moment so directly?
  • What does the choice of patron (a powerful Duke) suggest about how this image was received?

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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Judith and Maidservant with Head of Holofernes

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