Judith with the Head of Holofernes

Lavinia Fontana, one of the foremost figures in late Mannerist painting in Europe, is the first woman to achieve professional success beyond the confines of a court or convent. As the first woman to run her own workshop and paint public altarpieces and female nudes, she balanced a flourishing career with her roles as a wife and mother.

The oil on canvas we present today, signed and dated “LAVINIA FONTANA DE ZAPPIS FECE 1600,” shows the artist's maturity, capturing a nocturnal biblical scene with masterful humanistic effects and detailed analysis in the Flemish style. This painting is one of three depictions Fontana created of Judith, the young widow from the Old Testament Apocrypha who saved her city, Bethulia, by killing the invading Assyrian general. Fontana used herself as a model for Judith, symbolizing the pious and daring widow who seduces and kills the tyrant to liberate her people—an allegory of female virtue that was highly valued during the Counter-Reformation. Judith became one of the most frequently portrayed subjects in decorating noble palaces at the time.

With this story, we continue our celebrations of Women's History Month. 

P.S. Read more about the surprising career of Lavinia Fontana: painter of popes, nudes, and noblewomen!