Judith with the Head of Holofernes, and a Vision of the Virgin and Child Casting Out Evil, c. 1749
Pen, brown ink and wash, heightened with white gouache on laid paperexpand_more
Gift of David M. Danielsexpand_more 66.59.8
Not on Viewexpand_more
This wash drawing is a preparatory study for one of Gottfried Bernhard Göz's painted church ceilings, which were fixtures of 18th-century Bavaria. (The wash technique is oddly appropriate: Holofernes had subjugated Judith's people by cutting off their water supply, and it will be restored with his death.) The upper image of Mary stabbing a serpent revives the medieval idea of Judith and Holofernes as prefigurations of Mary and Satan. Judith is all rococo splendor as she whisks Holofernes' head from his bloody neck.
Details
- Title
- Judith with the Head of Holofernes, and a Vision of the Virgin and Child Casting Out Evil
- Artist Life
- German (born Moravia), 1708 - 1774
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 66.59.8
- Provenance
- HWC blindstamp, recto (Lugt 1391; H.W. Campe, Leipzig, 1770-1862); stamp, black, verso (Lugt 2731, Ville de Leipzig, public sale). David M. Daniels, Minneapolils; given to MIA, 1966.
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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