On the panel in Kassel Judith shows the severed head of Holofernes. She grasps him by the hair so that his face is turned upwards. The particularly low angle clearly shows with the slightly open eyelids and open mouth that Holofernes was surprised while sleeping. Judith holds up the general's
On the panel in Kassel Judith shows the severed head of Holofernes. She grasps him by the hair so that his face is turned upwards. The particularly low angle clearly shows with the slightly open eyelids and open mouth that Holofernes was surprised while sleeping. Judith holds up the general's sword in her right hand while her head is inclined slightly to one side. The parallel diagonals of the sword and the curtain emphasis the position of her head within the composition. At the same time the gentle curve of her head within the oval frame of the beret harmonises with the soft pyramidal shape of the torso. The curtain, which belongs to Holofernes' tent, opens to the right revealing the distant town of Bethulia on a rocky outcrop. Judith wears a Joachimstaler, one of the most famous silver coins of the german Renaissance, which gave its name to all other thaler coins. This thaler, named after St. Joachimstal, the place where it was minted, which is located on the southern bohemian slopes of the Erzgebirge, was currency in the electorate of Saxony and from there infiltrated european monetary transactions. On the panel in Kassel the side with the bohemian lion and a circumscription with the name of King Ludwig I of Bohemia (as Ludwig II also King of Hungary) is shown.
[Cat. Kassel 1997, 70]
- Attributions
-
Workshop Lucas Cranach the Elder
Lucas Cranach the Elder
Attributions
Workshop Lucas Cranach the Elder | [Cat. Kassel 1997, 70] |
Lucas Cranach the Elder | [Exhib. Cat. Gotha, Kassel 2015, 270] |
- Production date
- after 1526 or about 1530 - 1531
Production date
after 1526 or about 1530 - 1531 | [Cat. Kassel 1997, 70] [Exhib. Cat. Gotha 2015, No. 94] |
- Dimensions
- Dimensions of support: 87.4 x 57.5 x 0.6 cm (trimmed along all edges)
Dimensions
Dimensions of support: 87.4 x 57.5 x 0.6 cm (trimmed along all edges)
[Cat. Kassel 1997, 70]
- Signature / Dating
Artist's insignia bottom left: winged serpent with elevated wings, facing right
Signature / Dating
Artist's insignia bottom left: winged serpent with elevated wings, facing right
[cda 2013]
- Inscriptions and Labels
- on the sword: 'N'
- on the coin:
'LVDOVICUS PRIM[us]: [D for Dei is missing] GRACIA: R[ex]: BOInscriptions and Labels
Inscriptions, Badges:
- on the sword: 'N'
- on the coin:
'LVDOVICUS PRIM[us]: [D for Dei is missing] GRACIA: R[ex]: BO[emiae]:'
[Cat. Kassel 1997, 70]
Stamps, Seals, Labels:
Reverse of the panel:
- label from the Staatl. Museen Kassel
[Cat. Kassel 1997, 70]
- Owner
- Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel
- Repository
- Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Kassel
- Location
- Kassel
- CDA ID
- DE_MHK_GK16
- FR (1978) Nr.
- FR230H
- Persistent Link
- https://lucascranach.org/en/DE_MHK_GK16/