Judith and the Head of Holofernes

Written By Tom Lethaby
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Judith and the Head of Holofernes,

Gustav Klimt,

1901, oil on canvas,

84 cm x 42 cm,

Osterreichische Gallery Belvedere, Vienna


Judith is a Biblical heroine, responsible for saving Bethulia from the Assyrian army, by the seduction and decapitation of General Holofernes. At once, we are impressed by Judith's beauty, and horrified at her cruelty. A wide gold collar separates out the perversity with two heads at opposite ends of this long painting, allowing us to contemplate one characteristic at a time.

Tom Lethaby https://www.artofwine.art
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