GALIZIA, Fede
(b. 1578, Milano, d. 1630, Milano)

Judith with the Head of Holofernes

1596
Oil on canvas, 120 x 94 cm
Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota

The biblical story of Judith made a deep impression on Galizia at an early age and she treated the subject many times, several versions are in private collections. In this version, the Jewish heroine is sumptuously dressed, laden with jewelry and her head crowned with a diadem. The preciosity of the heroine's attire reflects the training in the miniature tradition the artist received from her father, Nunzio.