Judith with the head of Holofernes

The wooden panel consists of beech wood planks aligned with the grain running horizontally. On the reverse there is a bevel running along the right, left and bottom edges, c. 5mm in width. The reverse was later thinned and a cradle was attached. The panel may have been trimmed slightly at the top and bottom. A fibrous material was applied over the joins on the recto.

The suppport is a wooden panel and has the dimensions of a standard format 'C'.[1] Beech wood panels of this size with horizontally aligned planks and a similar fibrous application were frequently used in the Cranach workshop between 1522 and 1535.

[1] Heydenreich 2007, S.43.

The panel has a white ground on the recto. There is a barbe on the left and right edges of the panel.

An underdrawing could not be made visible employing infrared reflectography.

During a period from about 1530 to 1540 numerous paintings were created in the Cranach workshop where no underdrawing can be detected using infrared reflectography.

Employing XRF spectroscopy the following elements were detected, and by comparing optical characteristics the following pigments were identified:

blouse: white: Pb: lead white, Ca: chalk/calcium sulphate, Cu: copper pigment?

chain:, yellow: Pb: lead white, Sn, Pb: lead-tin-yellow, cu: copper pigment (azurite/mountain green/verdigris), Hg: vermilion, Fe: ochre/iron oxide, Ca: chalk/calcium sulphate

dress: red: Pb: lead white, Cu: copper pigment (azurite/mountain green/ verdigris), Hg: vermilion, Fe: ochre/iron oxide, Ca chalk/calcium sulphate

hair: brown/yellow: Pb: lead white, Sn, Pb: lead-tin-yellow, Cu: copper pigment (azurite/ mountain green/ verdigris), Hg: vermilion, Fe: Ochre/iron oxide, Ca: chalk/calcium sulphate

horizon, blue: Pb: lead white, Sn, Pb: lead-tin-yellow, Cu: copper pigment (azurite/ mountain green/ verdigris), Hg: vermilion, Fe: ochre/iron oxide, Ca: chalk/calcium sulphate

horizon, green: Pb: lead white , sn, Pb: lead-tin-yellow, Cu: copper pigment (azurite/ mountain green/ verdisgris), Hg: vermilion, Fe: ochre/iron oxide, Ca: chalk/calcium sulphate

blood on the sword: red: Pb: lead white, Cu: copper pigment (azurite/ mountain green/ verdigris), Hg: vermilion, Fe: Ochre/iron oxide, Ca: chalk/calcium sulphate

sleeve, black: Pb: lead white, cu: copper pigment (azurite/ mountain green/ verdigris), Hg: vermilion, Fe: ochre/iron oxide, Ca: chalk/calcium sulphate

nose, flesh paint: Pb: lead white, Zn: zinc white (retouching), Cu: Copper pigment (azurite/ mountain green/ verdigris)

The pigments identified (lead white, lead-tin-yellow, iron oxide, vermilion, azurite, copper green) were all used in Cranach the elder's workshop as well as other 16th century and later workshops. The paint applicatioin corresponds with the usual practice within the Cranach workshop. Certain elements and forms can be found on other works from the Wittenberg workshop production. The execution the present painting is less convincing than that of the version in Glasgow (35.671).

[Unpublished examination report, G. Heydenreich, Nov. 2015]

DESCRIPTION

- an underdrawing is not readily visible

[Sandner, Smith-Contini, Heydenreich, cda 2017]

The panel painting is visible damaged. In particular the flesh paint and the region around the join are abraded and exhibit losses, that have in part been retouched and overpainted. The eyebrows and eyes have been extensively retouched. Using XRF spectroscopy zinc was dectected on the nose. The man on horseback and the soldier in the background are in a fragmentary state. In numerous areas of the painting protrusions are visible in the paint layers, that is to say large semi-transparent, partially raised inclusions.