Judith with the Head of Holofernes
Conrad Meit
Bourg-en-Bresse (?), Mechelen (?), ca 1525/1528
Alabaster
29,5 x 13,1 x 10,0 cm
Inv.-Nr. R 204
Until 1811 in Schloss Ambras near Innsbruck, transferred from the Vereinigte Sammlungen in 1857
Gallery 21
The Old Testament heroine Judith rescued the inhabitants of her town by killing the enemy general Holofernes in his sleep. Completely disregarding the traditional story, Meit depicts Judith naked. Judith's reflective contemplation of the severed head of Holofernes shows, however, that this is not an erotic interpretation. Rather, Meit links his depiction with an innovative view of nudity, which is given a positive moral assessment. This interpretation is also supported by contemporary treatises, in which the physical beauty of a woman is adduced as proof of her moral integrity. The signature engraved in the base demonstrates the artistic self-assurance of Meit, whose elaborate small sculptures were intended for the collections of his clients.
des Bayerischen Nationalmuseum
des Bayerischen Nationalmuseum
