Judith and Her Maidservant (Correggio)

Judith and Her Maidservant
Judith and Her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes
ArtistCorreggio
Yearbetween 1510 and 1514
Mediumoil on panel (poplar)
MovementItalian Renaissance
Cinquecento
History painting
SubjectJudith beheading Holofernes
Dimensions30 cm × 22 cm (12 in × 8.7 in)[1]
LocationMusée des Beaux-Arts, Strasbourg
Accession1892

Judith and Her Maidservant or Judith and Her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes is an oil painting on panel executed circa 1510–1514 by the Italian Renaissance painter Correggio, now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts of Strasbourg, France. Its inventory number is 252.[2]

Details such as Judith's hairstyle date the work to Correggio's early period. Its subject matter was often painted by Correggio's master Mantegna, whilst its chiaroscuro effect laid the foundations for the noted "nocturnes" by Caravaggio.[3]

Its first definite appearance in the historical record dates to 1892, when Wilhelm von Bode bought it for its present owner. It was soon attributed to Correggio. There is a reference to a "half-length" Judith "in mock-night" in a Gonzaga inventory of 1627 which may be identifiable with the work, as may a number of mentions of a Correggio "Herodias", possibly a mistake for Judith in the c.1510 work.[4]

References

  1. ^ Roy, Alain (June 2017). De Giotto à Goya. Peintures italiennes et espagnoles du musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg. Musées de la ville de Strasbourg. pp. 116–117. ISBN 978-2-35125-151-5.
  2. ^ Jacquot, Dominique (2006). Le musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg. Cinq siècles de peinture. Strasbourg: Musées de Strasbourg. pp. 66–67. ISBN 2-901833-78-0.
  3. ^ (in Italian) Giuseppe Adani, Correggio pittore universale, Silvana Editoriale, Correggio 2007. ISBN 9788836609772
  4. ^ "Fondazione Correggio entry". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2019-10-15.