Description
Judith Beheading Holofernes, painted around 1599, represents a decisive moment in Caravaggio's artistic development. Commissioned by the banker and collector Ottavio Costa, the painting depicts the biblical episode in which Judith saves her people by killing the Assyrian general Holofernes.
Caravaggio chooses the moment of maximum violence. Holofernes is still alive as Judith draws the blade through his neck. The general attempts to rise from the bed, his body contracting and his mouth open in a final scream as blood pours from the wound. The viewer is confronted directly with the action rather than with its preparation or aftermath.
Through this painting Caravaggio transforms a traditional biblical subject into an immediate physical event. The elderly maid Abra stands ready with a bag, anticipating the next stage of Judith's plan.
