CARAVAGGIO
(b. 1571, Caravaggio, d. 1610, Porto Ercole)

Judith Beheading Holofernes (detail)

c. 1598
Oil on canvas
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome

Judith was painted directly from a model, as the suntan on her hands and face attests. The well turned-out blond woman with her full breasts, which remain visible through her white blouse, has rolled her sleeves up over her elbows. She stretches out her strong arm, but draws her head back, as if she were repulsed by blood. The Borghese David behaves in a similar fashion.