Caravaggio ‘Judith and Holofernes’, 1599-1602 approx. Technique oil on canvas, 145×195 cm. National Gallery of Ancient Art, Palazzo Barberini
Caravaggio’s ‘Judith and Holofernes’ is one of the great Lombard master’s most emblematic works, painted between 1598 and 1599. The canvas reveals all the dramatic force and technical skill that made Caravaggio’s masterful painting and use of chiaroscuro famous. The painting illustrates the climax of the biblical story, with the young Judith caught in the act of beheading the Assyrian general Holofernes, a symbol of tyranny and oppression. The composition enhances the bloody realism of the scene, giving the figures an almost theatrical intensity. Technique: oil on canvas, 145×195 cm. National Gallery of Ancient Art, Palazzo Barberini