Judith with the Head of Holofernes (Mantegna, Washington)

Judith with the Head of Holofernes is an Italian Renaissance painting attributed to Andrea Mantegna or to a follower of his, possibly Giulio Campagnola.

[1] Painted in tempera in around 1495 or 1500, it depicts the common artistic subject of Judith beheading Holofernes.

The painting has been dated through comparison with similar grisaille panels with Old Testament subjects which Mantegna produced around 1495 and 1500.

In a relatively serene interpretation of the theme, Judith is portrayed standing under the pink tent of Holofernes (whose foot can be seen on the right) immediately after beheading him, still holding the blade.

The composition also appears in Mantegna's grisaille paintings of this subject in Dublin and in Montreal, and a drawing in the Gabinetto dei disegni e delle stampe [it] of the Uffizi.