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Primary sourcePainting1612-1613

Judith Slaying Holofernes

Artemisia Gentileschi · 1612-1613

An early, brutal depiction by Gentileschi of Judith beheading Holofernes, painted around the time of her rape trial against Agostino Tassi.

An earlier version of Gentileschi's Judith theme, painted around the time of her rape trial.

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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.
Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes, 1612-1613. Museo di Capodimonte, Naples.

About this source

What it is

Completed around 1612–13 by Artemisia Gentileschi, this painting shows Judith, aided by her maidservant Abra, beheading the drunken Assyrian general Holofernes. It now hangs in the Museo di Capodimonte in Naples.

Why it matters

Painted around the time of Gentileschi's rape trial against Agostino Tassi, this earlier version of the Judith story is often read by historians, including Mary Garrard, as expressing female agency and physical strength, contrasting with the more restrained treatments by male painters such as Caravaggio, whose work influenced Gentileschi's style.

Look closer

  • How does this version compare to the later Uffizi painting of the same subject?
  • What choices make the violence feel immediate rather than distant?
  • Why might historians connect this painting to events in the artist's own life?

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 Beheading Holofernes

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Judith and Maidservant with Head of Holofernes

Artemisia Gentileschi · c. 1623-1625

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