The dramatic potential of the story made it as ideal subject for the powerful theatricality of Baroque art. Bibliography Information Orr, James, M.A., D.D. Gentileschi's Judith and Holofernes is both a powerful statement of her skill as an artistwhich gained her much recognition during her lifetimeand a statement of the personal and professional adversity overcome by a young woman who succeeded at establishing a painting practice at a time when the field was almost entirely male dominated. and second only to the king in power ( Judg 2:4 ). A detail of Judith Slaying Holofernes or Judith Beheading Holofernes (c. 1620) by Artemisia Gentileschi;Artemisia Gentileschi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Judith Slaying Holofernes (c. 1620) was painted by Artemisia Gentileschi. Ariarathes was 82 years of age at the time of his death: he had adopted as his son Ariarathes II, the eldest son of his brother Holophernes. The Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy (the earlier version is housed at the Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, Naples, Italy). As a woman, Judith had none of the patriarchal power that David had, even before he committed the great act of slaying Goliath. The Catholic Church. whom TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT In the deuterocanonical Book of Judith, Holofernes (Ancient Greek: ; Hebrew: ) was an invading Assyrian general known for having been beheaded by Judith, a Hebrew widow who entered his camp and beheaded him while he was drunk. Hebrew versions of the tale in the Megillat Antiochus and the Chronicles of Jerahmeel identify "Holofernes" as Nicanor; the Greek version used "Holofernes" as deliberately cryptic substitute, similarly using "Nebuchadnezzar" for Antiochus. One of the earliest female painters known to gain wide recognition while still alive, Artemisia Gentileschi was born in 1593 in Rome. HOLOFERNESHOLOFERNES , chief captain of the Assyrian army, who besieged a Jewish city and was beguiled and beheaded by *Judith (13: 7-9). The later version (from around 1620) has been described as having more realism and detail, notably evident by the blood spraying from Holoferness neck. As the biblical text recounts, Holofernes was so enchanted with her that he drank far more wine than he had drunk on any other day in his life (Judith 12:20). When he captured a rebel stronghold, he showed no mercy to the men, women and children sheltered there. took a huge hit in the early 1500s. He was commissioned by the king with the task of subjugating "the whole of the west," including Pal . All rights reserved. The book of Judith (Yehudit in Hebrew), records that Holofernes, a Greek general, had surrounded the village of Bethulia as part of his campaign to conquer Judea. Later Renaissance artists, notably Lucas Cranach the Elder, who with his workshop painted at least eight Judiths, showed a more sexualized Judith, a "seducer-assassin": "the very clothes that had been introduced into the iconography to stress her chastity become sexually charged as she exposes the gory head to the shocked but fascinated viewer", in the words of art critic Jonathan Jones. Direct link to Steven Zucker's post This story is from the th, Posted 8 years ago. When Artemisia was 13, the turbulent Caravaggio, her greatest and most enduring artistic influence, had to flee Rome, having stabbed a man to death in a brawl: Caravaggio, a man of the streets and alleys and a connoisseur of low life, always carried a dagger. Overcome with drink, he passes out and is decapitatedby Judith; his head is taken away in a basket (often depicted as being carried by an elderly female servant). Donatello, Judith and Holofernes, 1460, bronze, 236 cm (Palazzo Vecchio, Florence). Here, several streams of blood almost like extensions of the swords blade trail further down the bed onto the floor, which is out of the compositional view. Good luck! This painting, now in Detroit, Michigan, is one of four devoted to this subject by the Italian Baroque artist, Artemisia Gentileschi: the others are in Florence, Naples and Cannes. Artemisia Gentileschi was influenced by the artist Caravaggio and how he utilized color, especially the technique of chiaroscuro, which focuses on contrasts of dark and light. and, exposing herself to danger, she went out for the love which she bare to her country and people then besieged; and the Lord delivered Holofernes into the //chapter lv examples of such love.htm, Examples of Such Love. Judith Slaying Holofernes, painted by Artemisia Gentileschi in 1620, is a brilliant work of art depicting the biblical scene of the widow Judith killing the Assyrian general Holofernes in his . She was also accepted into the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno (The Academy of Arts and Drawing) as the first woman, and she had various commissions in her lifetime from significant figures like Cosimo II de Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany. For example, the womens faces are half lit up and the other half darkly shaded. Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Holofernes&oldid=1119007560, This page was last edited on 30 October 2022, at 06:44. Direct link to CielAllen08's post Where in the Bible does i, Posted 8 years ago. However, a Northern tradition developed whereby Judith had both a maid and a charger, taken by Erwin Panofsky as an example of the knowledge needed in the study of iconography. Color in Judith Slaying Holofernes or Judith Beheading Holofernes (c. 1620) by Artemisia Gentileschi;Artemisia Gentileschi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Instead, an. Nonetheless, she explores several important barriers that women artists faced until only recently. Direct link to David Alexander's post Judith is a semi-biblical, Posted 6 years ago. But then again, independent women in the Bible are seen with skepticism by many throughout history- take Mary Magdalene, for example, who has been characterized as a whore despite there being absolutely no real evidence that she was. The woman carried a skin of wine and one of oil, and when presented before the general said "I am a daughter of the Hebrews, but I am fleeing from them, for they are about to be handed over to you to be devoured Her father was the painter Orazio Gentileschi and her mother was Prudentia Montone, who died when she was a young girl. The termination of the word would seem to indicate a Persian origin for the name. Judith and the Head of Holofernes by Dimensione3 "Holofernes and his personal servants were pleased with what Judith had said, and they admired her wisdom. Both of them became known and famous because of Jewish culture! This association stems not only from their shared gender, but also from Artemisias own traumatic experience. The situation became desperate and the Jews were ready to capitulate. Additionally, Judith was a widow. The long blade of the sword is under his chin and faces downwards to the right of his head (our left). 1556332. A close-up of Judith in Judith Slaying Holofernes or Judith Beheading Holofernes (c. 1620) by Artemisia Gentileschi;Artemisia Gentileschi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Holofernes was an Assyrian general who was about to destroy Judith's home, the city of Bethulia. Inquisition. Title: Judith and Holofernes; Creator: Artemisia Gentileschi; Date Created: ca. Question Fill in the blank: I can't figure out _____ gave me this gift. This powerful visual axis reinforces the strength of the women and the violence of the deed. A close-up of Abra, Judiths slave woman, in Judith Slaying Holofernes or Judith Beheading Holofernes (c. 1620) by Artemisia Gentileschi;Artemisia Gentileschi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. The Jewish heroine Judith presents the severed head of the Assyrian general who besieged her city, having seduced and then beheaded him with his own sword. Geni requires JavaScript! The name occurs in the account of the measures taken to secure the country against Holofernes (Judith 4 /k/konae.htm - 6k, Ocina os'-i-na, ok'-i-na (Okeina): A town on the Phoenician coast South of Tyre, mentioned only in Judith 2:28, in the account of the campaign of Holofernes in Syria /o/ocina.htm - 6k, Jemnaan jem'-na-an (Iemnaan): A city on the coast of Palestine; mentioned among those affected by the expedition of Holofernes (Judith 2:28; 3:1;). She also recalls the sense of betrayal she feltwhen she realizedher female chaperonehad colluded with Tassi and arranged to leave the two alone. On the /g/geba.htm - 17k, Rasses Old Latin Thiras et Rasis): The children of Rasses are mentioned with Put, Lud and the children of Ishmael as having been subdued by Holofernes (Judith 2:23). Then Holofernes passed through Jezreel Valley near Dothan, which faced the main ridge of the mountains of Judea, and set up camp between Geba and Scythopolis. Holofernes also, er, got the point in a more literal sense because he chugs the wine, passes out in bed and Judith immediately slices his head off with his own sword. (B.C. [13], Two notable paintings of Judith were made by Gustav Klimt. nes h-l-fr- ()nz h- : a general of Nebuchadnezzar's who led an Assyrian army against Israel and was beheaded in his sleep by Judith Word History Etymology Late Latin, from Greek Holopherns First Known Use before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above Time Traveler His head is turned towards us, the viewers, and hangs nearly over the edge of the bed in the foreground of the composition. Nothing to do with the Greek myths about Artemis. Subscribe to our newsletter and learn something new every day. [6] This transition, from a desexualized image of Virtue to a more sexual and aggressive woman, is signaled in Giorgione's Judith (c. 1505): "Giorgione shows the heroic instance, the triumph of victory by Judith stepping on Holofernes's severed, decaying head. Women as Well as Men Capable of Perfection. At the gate of Bethulia, she called for entry, showed her trophy, and told the men to mount an attack on the Assyrian camp on the next morning. Furthermore, the figures arms and the mattresses from the bed appear cylindrical. Both she and her father were influenced by the art of the Italian painter, Caravaggio. Abra, the maidservant of Judith, a Jewish widow renowned for her beauty and charm, wraps the severed head of the Assyrian general Holofernes in a bag. Holofernes, on his bed, powerful but drunk, nude, and bellowing helplessly, has frozen in the futile struggle of his last instant of consciousness. Both Judith and David were Jews, and part of the Jewish bible and heritage. According to Diodorus of Sicily, a Holofernes, brother of the satrap Ariarathes of Cappadocia, lived at the time of Artaxerxes Ochus (359-337 B.C. The subject of the painting is the biblical Jewish heroine Judith, who bravely went to the camp of the besieging Assyrians, plied the enemy general Holofernes with drink, and cut off his head. 4 Ways the Parable of the Sower Encourages Spiritual Growth. The influential composition by Cristofano Allori (c. 1613 onwards), which exists in several versions, copied a conceit of Caravaggio's recent David with the Head of Goliath: Holofernes' head is a portrait of the artist, Judith is his ex-mistress, and the maid her mother. Especially in Germany an interest developed in female "worthies" and heroines, to match the traditional male sets. Alexander the Great conquered Cappadocia during his route and installed a governor there (though two different names of this governor are given). We see blood on the hands of the maidservant. She leans to her left side (our right) while in the vigorous act of beheading. Like Lucretia, Judith was the subject of a disproportionate number of old master prints, sometimes shown nude. Holofernes proceeded to go down into the plains around Damascus during the wheat harvest, burned all the fields, slaughtered the flocks and herds, looted the towns, devastated the entire countryside, and killed all the young men. This association partly explains the increase in portrayals of Judith in late 16th through the 17th centuries, when the Catholic Church was engaged in conflicts with both the Protestants and the Ottoman Turks, whose eastern origins facilitated their identification with Holofernes. After a Phoenician peace delegation had brought a message of surrender, Holofernes led Nebuchadnezzar's army down to the Mediterranean coast. Bibliography Information Smith, William, Dr. "Entry for 'Holofernes,'". Mara I de Inglaterra fue coronada en la Abada de Westminster el domingo 1 de octubre de 1553. Holofernes [ hol- uh- fur-neez, hoh-l uh- ] SHOW IPA noun (in the Book of Judith) a general, serving Nebuchadnezzar, who was killed by Judith. Holofernes is a pedant, and the local schoolteacher. Her paintings depicted scenes of women who have been described as heroines, who embodied qualities of strength and bravery. 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